Thomas Schaffner

The Path

Breadth shows up early in this record. Thomas Schaffner trained as a winemaker apprentice at external winegrowing business (1986–1988), a period that tied him to the day-to-day demands of viticulture. He then moved into practical missionary and children's village leader work at children's village in Haiti (1989–1991), a role that required discipline, responsibility, and steady work with people. Thomas Schaffner served as full professor at University of Bern, Institute of Pathology in Bern, Switzerland (1980–2009), and later as portfolio manager, Emerging Markets Asia at Bank Vontobel. Since 1991, he has been owner and direct-to-customer seller of family estate / Weingut Schaffner, keeping the estate’s identity tied to face-to-face selling. Since 2009, he has also been professor emeritus of University of Bern, Institute of Pathology; today he is also founder and owner and winzermeister of BioWeingut Schaffner.

The Work Today

At BioWeingut Schaffner, the work is defined as much by vineyard labor as by the finished bottle. Thomas Schaffner is Winzermeister there, and also co-owner and featured producer of the Deluxxxe distilled spirits line at Bio Weingut Schaffner (Bötzingen am Kaiserstuhl, Germany). His own standard is plain: “The quality of the wines cannot be achieved without tireless, careful work on the vines in winter through to the harvest in autumn.” That places the emphasis where working artisans expect it to be—on continuity between vine, cellar, and the person standing across the counter. The customer-facing side is not separate from the production side; it is part of how the work is carried.

Signature

Thomas Schaffner’s signature wines include Deluxxxe, 339Marc Terroir, Tresterbrand Nr°1, Tresterbrand Nr°2, and Tresterbrand Nr°3. The range spans wine and distilled spirits while staying anchored to the name and production identity of BioWeingut Schaffner.

In Their Words “The quality of the wines cannot be achieved without tireless, careful work on the vines in winter through to the harvest in autumn.” “My strength and passion is dealing with customers and guests.”