Katla Wines | Wine of Jas Swan

Katla Wines is Jas Swan. The project started in 2019 in the Mosel, working out of the cellar at Staffelter Hof, and she has since moved her base to Wöllstein in Rheinhessen where she now has a cellar of her own.

She farms 0.8 hectares of Merlot, Silvaner and Riesling herself. Everything else is négoce: she buys chemical-free grapes from friends working in the surrounding areas, which is how a project this small ends up with a range this broad. Total production sits at around 10,000 bottles a year, so the quantity of any single wine is genuinely small.

In her own words: "Katla is freestyle creative wines, that keep innovating. I make my own traditions instead of following the expected, I keep pushing." That shows up in the bottles. She does not make every wine every year, and the label artwork changes annually, so what you bought last year may not exist this year and will almost certainly look different.

Jas also runs Back of the Van, a mobile wine fair that sets up as a satellite event alongside the bigger, better funded natural wine fairs.

Who is behind Katla Wines?

Katla Wines is Jas Swan, who founded the project in 2019 in the Mosel and now works from her own cellar in Wöllstein, Rheinhessen.

Where is Katla Wines based?

Wöllstein, in Rheinhessen, Germany. The project began in the Mosel and Jas still takes fruit from the steep slopes there, as well as from the Nahe and Rheinhessen.

Do Katla wines contain sulphur?

Sometimes. Jas adds a small amount of sulphites at bottling on some wines and none on others. Nothing else is added and nothing is removed.

What grapes does Jas Swan work with?

She farms Merlot, Silvaner and Riesling on her own 0.8 hectares. Across the bought-in fruit the range has included Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Regent, Grüner Veltliner, Kerner and Bacchus.

Why do the Katla labels change every year?

Because Jas redesigns them every year, and she does not make every wine every vintage. What gets made depends on which grapes are available and what she feels like making. Several labels feature drag queens she collaborates with.

How much wine does Katla make?

Around 10,000 bottles a year in total, split across a changing range, so individual wines are made in very small numbers.

What is Back of the Van?

A mobile wine fair organised by Jas Swan, which sets up as a satellite event next to the larger, better funded natural wine fairs.