Angles Covered: Riesling vines are right at home on a slope in Mosel, Germany. Photo by Friedrich Petersdorff
Riesling is the most common varietal cultivated in Zell, a town in the Mosel, Germany. Zell’s 331 ha of vineyards makes it the second largest region in the Mosel, after Piesport.
“Riesling is rowing back. After years of repetition (especially by Jancis and me) that Riesling is the best white wine grape of all – or at least equal first with Chardonnay – it’s getting a grudging acceptance in a market super-saturated with Sauvignon Blanc.
What Rieslings are we buying, though? Not the crystal-pure, infinitely varied interpretations from its natural home, but strangely typecast versions from Australia, a slightly bizarre blend (or so it seems) of lime juice and kerosene.
Does the reason lie, perhaps, in the infinitely varied interpretations? ‘I thought it would be sweet’ is what I hear nine times out of 10 when I trick a friend (yes, it’s that bad) into tasting one of my favourites from the Mosel or Rhine.”
Hugh Johnson (Decanter Magazine, August 2010)
Weis Man: Riesling superstar Nik Weis has made his family winery in the Mosel, St. Urbans-Hof, into one of Germany’s top estates
Leafing through pages from our archives, we uncovered a piece from our 2002 White Issue, when we spoke to Nik Weis, owner and winemaker of Weingut St. Urbans-Hof, about his philosophy.
[Riesling] is something that is different. It has the most wine character of all of the grapes in the world because it is fruity and it goes with a lot of food… Some wines stay the same, but Riesling changes so dramatically and it also changes the food. It’s a real adventure. Nik Weis, Owner & Winemaker, St. Urbans-Hof
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