The producer
Lichti & Astroh is the joint Pfalz project of winemaking couple Freya Lichti and Alexander Strohschneider. Based in Herxheim am Berg, the winery cultivates named sites in Leistadt, Großkarlbach and Laumersheim. The vineyards follow ECOVIN rules, with selective hand harvest and mostly spontaneous fermentation using yeasts from the vineyards. The range includes Riesling and Spätburgunder, with full lees ageing in stainless steel for one Riesling and repeatedly used barriques for the Spätburgunder.
Known for
Pfalz Riesling and Spätburgunder
Notable facts
- Freya Lichti and Alexander Strohschneider are the winemaking couple behind Lichti & Astroh.
- The winery is based in Herxheim am Berg in the Mittelhaardt and Deutsche Weinstraße area of Pfalz.
- Named vineyards include Kalkofen, Kirchenstück, Herzfeld, Herrenmorgen, Burgweg, Kirschgarten and Steinbuckel.
- Most wines ferment spontaneously with yeasts originating in the vineyards.
From the atlas
Lichti & Astroh
Pfalz project of winemaking couple Freya Lichti and Alexander Strohschneider, working with named vineyards across Leistadt, Großkarlbach and Laumersheim.
At A Glance
| Base | Herxheim am Berg, Pfalz |
| Vineyards | About 10 hectares across Leistadt, Großkarlbach and Laumersheim |
| Wines | Riesling and Spätburgunder |
| Farming | ECOVIN rules, conversion to certified organic viticulture |
| Cellar | Selective hand picking and spontaneous fermentation |
The Producer
The joint project began in 2018/19 in Laumersheim in the Palatinate. Freya Lichti and Alexander Strohschneider are the winemaking couple behind Lichti & Astroh. In November 2021 they founded their own wine trade for their wines, and the winery itself was founded in 2022 by the same pair.
The vineyards follow ECOVIN rules, with conversion to certified organic viticulture scheduled to complete with the 2025 vintage. Freya Lichti brought experience in biodynamics and field work, while Alexander Strohschneider worked in vineyard operations before the project began.
Place
Herxheim am Berg is the winery's base in the Mittelhaardt and Deutsche Weinstraße area of Pfalz. The cultivated sites extend through Leistadt, Großkarlbach and Laumersheim.
The holdings include Kalkofen, Kirchenstück, Herzfeld and Herrenmorgen in Leistadt, Burgweg in Großkarlbach, and Kirschgarten and Steinbuckel in Laumersheim. Some leased Leistadt vineyards are old, non parcelled plots on massive limestone rock.
Wines
Riesling is the white wine in the range, while Spätburgunder is the red. The 2024 Riesling was hand harvested in September, fermented spontaneously, held on its full lees in stainless steel until bottling, neither fined nor filtered, and hand bottled in July 2026. Lees ageing keeps wine in contact with yeast solids, which can build texture without oak flavour.
The current Spätburgunder was raised entirely in repeatedly used barriques. Older barriques provide an ageing vessel with limited new oak flavour, keeping the cellar treatment separate from the fruit and site character.
In The Glass
The 2021 Spätburgunder opens with black and red berry aromas, then moves toward nut, earth, tree bark and tobacco ash. Fine sandy tannin gives the palate a grainy feel, while a bite of acidity keeps it active. Saline traces and tomato notes run alongside moderate, lightly smoky oak, and the finish carries some length.
A Bottle To Understand It
Open the 2020 Lichti & Astroh bottling first. It carries 11% alcohol and is soft and supple, with rose hip and strawberry. Forty percent of the wine matured for six months in used barriques. The combination puts light alcohol, gentle texture, red fruit and partial older oak ageing in the same bottle.
Final Word
Lichti & Astroh brings together Freya Lichti's previous responsibility for biodynamics and Alexander Strohschneider's experience as an external operations manager before the project began.
Sources
- https://www.lichtiundastroh.de/en/ueber-uns
- https://wineguide.wein.plus/lichti-astroh-gbr
- https://www.lichtiundastroh.de/shop/2023-riesling
- https://www.lichtiundastroh.de/shop/2023-sp%C3%A4tburgunder
- https://www.winelife.nl/en/wine/tasting-notes/