iL-INSIDE
July 22, 2024
A day in the world
from Sausenheim
The summer company outing took our InnovationLab team to Sausenheim in the Palatinate, a district of Grünstadt. The weather gods were kind to the day-trippers from Heidelberg. With a mixture of sun and clouds and tolerable temperatures, the varied, team-building program was completed on the northern foothills of the Haardt.
The focus was on wine - how could it be otherwise in a landscape characterized by vineyards, with a view of the castle village of Neuleinigen in the background. Sausenheim (home of Suso), which was first mentioned in the Lorsch Codex in 772, is located on the 85-kilometre-long German Wine Route, which begins in Schweigen-Rechtenbach to the south and ends in Bockenheim in the Alzeyer hill country to the north.
"Stabis" and breathing techniques
But Bacchus had put sweat before the prize. In the garden of individual trainer and autodidact Salvatore "Salva" Attilo, a former top weightlifter at AC 1892 Mutterstadt and long-time coach, the iL team completed some body-stabilizing units and breathing technique exercises under Salva's relaxed guidance. After the successful "surprise", the vineyard hike through the Höllenpfad vineyard started.
Surprise program in the morning: individual coach Salvatore "Salva" Attilo (center) does some exercises with the iL team to refresh body and mind. Picture: InnovationLab
Winemaker with body and and soul
Ilona Kohl from the local Fritz Kohl winery now took over the baton. At three stations, guests were able to taste sparkling Secco, "GoldmuskatellER", Riesling and Rosé, surrounded by walnut trees, fields and rows of vines. Ilona demonstrated that she not only has a high level of expertise in the intricacies of winegrowing and grape care, but also proved to be a winemaker with heart and soul. Informative, cordial, humorous and approachable - the tour through hills, along country lanes and past the "fox cave", which is famous among the locals and contains the remains of a prehistoric sea cliff, provided countless impressions.
In her element: Ilona Kohl explains why professional leaf pruning is so important for the grapes. Picture: InnovationLab
Station five in the cellar of the Fritz Kohl winery
To round off the day, the Fritz Kohl winery, a family business that spans generations, was to be the fifth stop after a classic refreshment of Palatinate sausage and cheese platter. Whether Pinot Gris, Merlot or Cabernet Cubin, the latter surrounded by light tannins and fine woody notes, between huge stainless steel and French oak barrels, the range of wines from Ilona and Markus Kohl, who run the down-to-earth, direct-marketing family winery, tasted particularly good.
In short: a team-building, sociable, fun and entertaining iL company outing. The loess and limestone weathered soils of Sausenheim are an excellent terroir for multi-faceted wines, but also for the balance between exercise in nature, pleasure tasting and a sense of community.
The iL team was happy to spend a day in the Sausenheim world of Salva, Ilona and Markus! Our thanks go to the Palatinate.
Favorite spot: The view from the northern foothills of the Haardt extends over the entire Rhine plain, including Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Heidelberg and as far as Karlsruhe and the northern Black Forest. Picture: InnovationLab
Joachim Klaehn
Head of Communications
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