Like The Odd Couple, where two seemingly separate and obviously opposite parties find themselves in one of life’s overlaps - The 22nd Fighter Squadron or “The Big 22” for short, based at Germany’s Spangdahlem Air Base, and a charming Mosel River winery, Weingut Alfons Sebastiani, intersect each other’s lives for a season, allowing each to experience a piece of home country culture in the brilliant backdrop of the Eifel region.
Spangdahlem Air Base, located just 30 minutes northeast of Trier, has been home to the 52nd Fighter Wing since 1971. Both F-16 and A-10 aircraft are maintained and deployed from the 52nd Fighter Wing providing tactical air support for U.S. Defense strategies as well as NATO operations. The 22nd F-16 Squadron for all wine intents and purposes has been thoroughly adopted by a local German couple, Alfons and Elfrieda of Weingut Alfons Sebastiani. The Sebastianis run a family winery with vineyards in Mehring and a varietal focus on Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, and Kerner. Hosting the Stingers for regular wine tastings (dubbed “wineprobes”) and recruiting the Squadron and their families to help with the hand-picked harvest and even some bottling projects, Sebastiani has played the gracious German host for years.
The friendship is far from one-sided with the Stingers awarding Alfons Sebastiani with the distinguished title of “Honorary 22 Commander” and enthusiastic inclusion on base initiatives designed to integrate the squadrons and their German neighbors.
The connection between Weingut Alfons Sebastiani and the F-16 Stingers culminated in a special 2009 Muller-Thurgau bottling. The vintage showcased a striking label designed by a Big 22 squadron spouse, Ashley Butler, that features the Stinger’s prized F-16s flying over Germany’s prized Mosel - bottled in red, the squadron’s signature color.
Since WWII the U.S. Military has been in constant contact with German soil, “Seeking to both bolster U.S. and German ties and protect European and U.S. interests,” according to Lt. Colonel Doug Nikolai. Today, friendships between two unique communities, Spangdahlem’s Stingers and the Sebastianis, continue to grow and thrive over a vine merging two legacies of very different roots.
Though Weingut Alfons Sebastiani is not currently distributed in the U.S., they are accessible in the European market. In Europe keep an eye out for:
The 2008 Weingut Alfons Sebastiani Riesling Spätlese – With a focus on candied apple, pear and some citrus tones mid-palate this wine has a bit of minerality and brings well-balanced acidity to the forefront.
The 2007 Weingut Alfons Sebastiani Riesling Auslese – Offers up plenty of pear and ripe apple on the nose along with some slate nuances. The palate profile echoes the fruit and reinforces the mineral foundation, wrapping up in a tight, clean finish.
The 2008 Weingut Alfons Sebastiani Dornfelder – Comes in at 12.5% abv and brings a translucent, ruby red color profile. This is a light-bodied red wine, with a fruit-forward, bright berry character and just a touch of vanilla on the finish.
