The Head Carousel & the Graphic Designer
Carrousel de Tête is the micro-boutique natural wine project of Frederic and Simone Groß — a graphic designer and his wife who, in 2018, swapped Photoshop for pruning shears and acquired a small plot of 40-year-old vines right behind their house on the German Wine Route. From half a hectare of old vineyards around Meckenheim and Deidesheim in the Pfalz, they produce ultra-juicy, slightly playful, and yet always serious wines with no cellar intervention, gentle ageing on the lees, and unfiltered bottling. The name means "head carousel" in German — not because the wines make you dizzy, but because they trigger maximum head cinema. This is not merely a winery; it is a playground, a laboratory, a design studio in the vineyard, and a declaration that everything can, nothing must.
Frederic Groß & the Swap from Photoshop
The story of Carrousel de Tête is a story of escape — of a graphic designer who looked up from his screen, saw the vines behind his house, and decided that the computer could wait. Frederic Groß is not a traditional full-time winemaker. His "day job" is running KGP GmbH, a graphic design studio on the German Wine Route in the Pfalz. He is a man of visuals, of typography, of the striking minimalist label — and it is precisely this design sensibility that defines every bottle that leaves his cellar. But in 2018, Frederic and his wife Simone made a decision that would alter both their lives: they acquired a small plot of 40-year-old vines planted with Riesling and Silvaner, right behind their house in Meckenheim, a village on the German Wine Route in the heart of the Pfalz.
The project began as a release valve — a way to "get away from the computer, out into nature," as Frederic puts it. He and his team began swapping Photoshop for pruning shears, letting off steam in the vineyard rather than the studio. But what began as a hobby quickly became a passion, and what began as a passion became a winery. In 2020, two additional vineyards in Deidesheim and Meckenheim were added to the original plot, bringing the total to approximately 0.5 hectares — a micro-production by any standard, but one that has already produced wines of startling character and international recognition. The vines are now tended organically and biodynamically, and the cellar operates with a freedom that only a semi-professional project can afford: no pressure, no dogma, no rules except the ones that produce good wine.
Frederic is not a lone wolf. He collaborates with friends who are established winemakers, most notably Jonas Seckinger of the famous Seckinger winery, who has helped vinify certain cuvées. This collaborative spirit — the willingness to learn from others, to share knowledge, and to admit that a graphic designer might need help from a professional vigneron — is part of what makes Carrousel de Tête so appealing. It is not a vanity project; it is a genuine, humble, and joyful exploration of what wine can be when the person making it is driven by curiosity rather than commerce. Simone is the co-creator, the partner who shares the vision and the labour, and together they form a duo that is rare in the wine world: two people who make wine because they love it, not because they inherited it.
The name Carrousel de Tête — "head carousel" — was chosen to reflect the dizzying, exhilarating, and slightly disorienting experience of making wine without a map. It is not a name that promises stability or tradition; it is a name that promises movement, colour, and surprise. The wines do not make you dizzy, but they do trigger "maximum head cinema" — a German expression for the vivid, imaginative experience of drinking something that transports you. This is the philosophy that drives every decision: the wine should delight the soul and the palate, it should be fun, and it should never take itself too seriously. As Frederic says: "Everything can, nothing must."
"Always drink upstream from the herd."
— Frederic Groß
Meckenheim & Deidesheim & the German Wine Route
The Pfalz — or Palatinate — is Germany's second-largest wine region, a warm, sun-drenched strip of land that stretches from the French border in the south to the Rheinhessen in the north. It is a region of Mediterranean influence, of almond trees and figs, of powerful Rieslings and rich Pinot Noirs. But Meckenheim and Deidesheim are not the southern, almost-Provençal Pfalz of the Haardt mountains; they are the northern Pfalz, closer to the Rhine, where the climate is milder, the soils are more varied, and the wines retain a freshness and acidity that distinguishes them from the heavier styles of the south. The German Wine Route — the oldest scenic drive in Germany — passes directly through this landscape, and it is here, a stone's throw from Deidesheim, that Frederic and Simone tend their half-hectare of vines.
The original plot — the one behind the house — is planted with 40-year-old Riesling and Silvaner, deep-rooted vines that have spent four decades extracting the mineral complexity of the Pfalz subsoil. The additional parcels acquired in 2020 are planted with Silvaner, Riesling, Portugieser, Scheurebe, and Muskateller — a diverse palette that reflects both the region's traditions and Frederic's experimental spirit. The soils are typical of the northern Pfalz: a mix of loess, limestone, and clay — free-draining, mineral-rich, and capable of producing wines of surprising depth and freshness despite the warm climate. The old vines, with their naturally low yields, produce small berries of intense concentration and thick skins — ideal material for the low-intervention, skin-contact winemaking that Carrousel de Tête practises.
The farming is organic and biodynamic — from the very beginning, Frederic and Simone have refused synthetic chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilisers. The vines are tended by hand, harvested by hand, and treated with the respect that natural winemaking demands. The naturally low yields of the old vines are not a problem to be solved with chemicals; they are a gift to be cherished, producing grapes of such intensity that the cellar needs to do almost nothing. The surrounding landscape of the German Wine Route — vineyards, orchards, and the gentle hills of the Pfalz — provides a habitat for biodiversity, and the absence of industrial monoculture allows the natural ecosystem to regulate itself. The result is a vineyard that looks wilder, works harder, and produces less than its conventional neighbours — but that produces grapes of singular purity and expressive power.
The climate is warm and continental with Mediterranean influence — hot summers, mild winters, and a long growing season that allows the grapes to ripen fully while retaining the acidity essential for balanced, fresh wines. The northern location within the Pfalz provides enough coolness to prevent the worst of the summer heat from baking the fruit, while the sun-drenched slopes capture the light that drives phenolic ripeness. The result is a terroir that produces grapes of natural acidity, moderate alcohol, and a distinctive mineral tension — ideal material for the juicy, playful, high-drinkability wines that Carrousel de Tête has made its signature. The limestone and loess impart a distinct stony, sometimes almost chalky character that distinguishes these wines from the richer, more rounded styles of the southern Pfalz.
Carrousel de Tête is located in Meckenheim, on the German Wine Route in the Pfalz region of Germany. The estate comprises approximately 0.5 hectares across small parcels in Meckenheim and Deidesheim. Founded in 2018 by Frederic and Simone Groß when they acquired a plot of 40-year-old Riesling and Silvaner vines behind their house. Two additional vineyards were added in 2020. Organic and biodynamic farming since the beginning. Natural wine production with no cellar intervention, gentle lees ageing, and unfiltered bottling.
The vineyards sit on a mix of loess, limestone, and clay soils typical of the northern Pfalz. The loess provides a silty, fertile topsoil; the limestone forces deep root penetration and imparts a distinct mineral, chalky character; the clay retains moisture and nutrients, sustaining the vines through dry summers. The soils are free-draining and mineral-rich, producing grapes of natural acidity and moderate alcohol. No synthetic chemicals are used. The terroir is defined by stone, sun, and the gentle hills of the German Wine Route.
Organic and biodynamic farming from the very beginning. No herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilisers. Hand-tended vines, hand-harvested grapes. The 40-year-old vines produce naturally low yields of intense, concentrated fruit. The surrounding landscape of the German Wine Route maintains biodiversity. The goal is not maximum yield but maximum expression — grapes that carry the full microbial and mineral fingerprint of the Pfalz terroir, essential for the no-intervention winemaking that defines the project.
Frederic's day job is running KGP GmbH, a graphic design studio on the German Wine Route. The winery is a playground and laboratory — a place to escape the computer and let off steam. The labels are striking, minimalist, and unmistakably the work of a designer. The collaborative spirit extends to established winemakers like Jonas Seckinger, who has helped vinify certain cuvées. This is not a vanity project; it is a genuine, humble, and joyful exploration of what wine can be when curiosity replaces commerce. The cellar is a modest, working space where time and wild yeast do the work, and Frederic and Simone provide the patience and the fun.
No Intervention & the Gentle Lees
The guiding philosophy of Carrousel de Tête is expressed in four words: no intervention, maximum fun. Frederic and Simone are committed to natural winemaking in its most playful and honest form — employing organic and biodynamic farming in the vineyard, and cellar work that is entirely free of manipulation. This is not a reaction against modernity; it is a return to the simplest possible methodology, informed by Frederic's design sensibility (less is more) and by the couple's conviction that wine should be joyful, juicy, and unapologetically alive. The wines are made without cultured yeasts, without temperature manipulation, without filtration, and with minimal or no added sulfur.
The methodology is deliberately simple and rigorously clean. Harvest is entirely manual, carried out in small quantities across the half-hectare, and transported immediately to the cellar. Fermentation is spontaneous, initiated by the indigenous yeasts that live on the grape skins and in the cellar air of the Pfalz. Frederic and Simone do not inoculate, do not adjust temperatures aggressively, and do not force the wine into a predetermined shape. The whites are direct-pressed or given brief skin contact — the Blanc cuvée, a hazy blend of Silvaner and Riesling, captures the fresh, herbal, and textured character that natural wine drinkers crave. The Orange is macerated for 14–16 days on the skins — a Scheurebe and Muskateller blend that develops the floral, jasmine, and crunchy intensity that has become the cuvée's signature.
The aging is gentle and on the lees — the wines are left to rest in a mix of materials, including fiberglass tanks and used oak barrels, developing texture and complexity without the intrusion of new wood. The lees provide a natural protection, a subtle creaminess, and a living environment that keeps the wine evolving in the bottle. The sulfur protocol is minimal to non-existent: little to no sulfur is added, and when it is used, it is in the smallest possible quantities. The wines are not filtered, preserving their natural turbidity, their living yeasts, and their evolving texture. This demands absolute cleanliness in the cellar, perfect grape health in the vineyard, and a willingness to accept that each bottle will be slightly different from the next.
The cellar is not a technological facility; it is a modest, working space where the wines ferment at their own pace and are bottled with minimal intervention. There is no temperature-controlled tank farm, no laboratory analysis dictating additions, no consultant recommending corrective enzymes. There is only Frederic, Simone, the grapes, and the patience to let the wine take the time it needs. The result is a portfolio of wines that are ultra-juicy, slightly playful, and yet always on the serious side — wines that are designed for Trinkfluss (high drinkability), that change in the glass, that evolve in the bottle, and that carry the unmistakable signature of a couple who have spent their lives in design and are now finding their voice in the vineyard. The labels — striking, minimalist, and unmistakably the work of a graphic designer — are the final touch: a visual promise that the wine inside is as honest and uncluttered as the label on the outside.
Native Yeasts, No Intervention & Unfiltered
The guiding principle of Carrousel de Tête's winemaking is that the cellar should be invisible and the wine should be fun. Their approach — organic and biodynamic farming across half a hectare of old vines in the Pfalz, hand harvest in small quantities, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, direct press or brief skin contact for whites, 14–16 days skin maceration for the Orange, gentle ageing on the lees in a mix of fiberglass and used oak barrels, no temperature manipulation, no enzymatic additions, no filtration, and minimal or zero added sulfites — is not a rejection of modernity but a deeper application of it. The native yeasts provide fermentation with a microbiological fingerprint unique to the Pfalz. The absence of filtration preserves the living texture and the natural haze. And the gentle lees ageing ensures that the wines reach the market with a maturity and generosity that only time can provide. The cellar is not a laboratory; it is a playground where time, wild yeast, and the German Wine Route do the work, and Frederic and Simone provide the patience, the fun, and the striking minimalist labels.
Blanc, Orange & Rouge
Carrousel de Tête produces a focused, tiny portfolio from half a hectare of organic and biodynamic old vines in Meckenheim and Deidesheim. The wines are deliberately few in number but high in character — each cuvée a distinct expression of the Pfalz terroir, made with native yeasts, no intervention, and unfiltered bottling. The current range centres on four flagship cuvées that have already gained a following in the natural wine community: Blanc — a hazy, herbal, and textured blend of Silvaner and Riesling that serves as the project's white standard; Orange — a macerated, floral, and crunchy blend of Scheurebe and Muskateller that has become the estate's most celebrated wine; Rouge — a light, elegant, and juicy red of Pinot Noir and St. Laurent that drinks like a chillable Burgundy; and Clos Paradis — a more serious, mineral, and depth-driven Riesling from a specific old-vine plot. All are united by a common methodology: spontaneous fermentation, no filtration, minimal or no sulfur, and a design sensibility that makes every bottle as beautiful to look at as it is to drink. The portfolio is small but expanding, and every new release is anticipated with the excitement that only a rising star can generate.
"Time and patience as well as fun and creativity are probably the right keywords for Carrousel de Tête — but it doesn't make you dizzy, the wines trigger maximum head cinema and delight the soul and palate."
— Drops Wine
The Playground & the Head Cinema
To understand Carrousel de Tête, one must understand that it is not merely a winery; it is a playground, a laboratory, a design studio in the vineyard, and a declaration that everything can, nothing must. Frederic Groß is not a traditional vigneron; he is a graphic designer who looked up from his screen and saw the vines behind his house. The identity of the project is defined by this escape: the escape from the computer, the escape from the dogma, the escape from the pressure, and the escape from the idea that wine must be serious to be good. The wines are ultra-juicy, slightly playful, inviting, and yet always on the serious side — a paradox that only a designer could resolve.
The identity is also defined by collaboration — the collaboration with Simone, the collaboration with Jonas Seckinger, the collaboration with friends and family who helped create the winery, and the collaboration with the vines themselves. Frederic does not pretend to know everything; he learns, he experiments, and he shares. The result is a portfolio of wines that are deliberately alive, deliberately diverse, and deliberately challenging to the industrial norms of the Pfalz. They are not made to please a tasting panel; they are made to please the soul and the palate. They are not made for the trophy cabinet; they are made for the kitchen table, the restaurant, and the moment of shared pleasure.
The future of Carrousel de Tête is tied to the continued exploration of the half-hectare around Meckenheim and Deidesheim, the deepening of organic and biodynamic practices, and the gradual expansion of a portfolio that already spans white, orange, and red. Frederic and Simone are eager to go further — to experiment with new varieties, to explore longer macerations, and to obtain ever more natural expressions from the fruit of their own Pfalz terroir. The Orange will continue to be the flagship of joy, the floral, crunchy wine that announces their arrival. The Blanc will continue to be the herbal standard, the hazy white that proves the terroir's quality. The Rouge will continue to demonstrate that German red wine can be light, elegant, and chillable. And the Clos Paradis will continue to show that even a playground can produce profound wine.
In an age of increasing industrialisation in wine — of global varieties, engineered yeasts, and corporate consolidation — Carrousel de Tête stands as a compelling alternative, not because it rejects modernity but because it has embraced a deeper modernity: one that values half a hectare of old vines over a factory farm, hand harvest over machine picking, indigenous yeasts over inoculation, no intervention over standardised manipulation, no filtration over cosmetic clarity, fiberglass and used oak over new-barrel fashion, the graphic designer's eye over the consultant's fee, the playground over the laboratory, the head cinema over the tasting note, and the specific voice of Meckenheim over the standardised replication of a global style. Carrousel de Tête is not merely making wine; it is proving that a graphic designer can become a vigneron, that a half-hectare can become a universe, that a wine with no intervention can possess the most profound identity, and that the simplest philosophy — everything can, nothing must — is often the most profound. From the first vintage in 2018 to the 2024 release: all united in one bottle, one carousel, one unanswerable argument for the possibility of authentic, natural, unfiltered, hand-made, passionately joyful wine from the heart of the German Wine Route.
Frederic Groß — graphic designer, KGP GmbH founder, natural wine devotee, and the creative force behind Carrousel de Tête. In 2018, he and his wife Simone acquired a plot of 40-year-old vines behind their house in Meckenheim and began swapping Photoshop for pruning shears. The winery is a playground and laboratory — a place to escape the computer and let off steam. The labels are striking, minimalist, and unmistakably the work of a designer. Frederic collaborates with established winemakers like Jonas Seckinger. This is a winery where the creative and the agricultural are inseparable, and the wine carries the signature of a man who refused to let the screen define his life.
Four absolute commitments: no intervention in the cellar, indigenous yeasts only, no filtration, minimal or zero added sulfites. Hand harvest across half a hectare of old vines. Spontaneous fermentation. Gentle ageing on the lees in fiberglass and used oak barrels. No temperature manipulation. No enzymatic additions. The wines are as natural as German wine comes — organically and biodynamically farmed, spontaneously fermented, unfiltered, unfined, and purely expressive of the Pfalz terroir. A proof that the graphic designer's patience and the playground's honesty often produce the purest, most joyful wines.