Riesling by Graf von Weyher
Olympic champions win gold medals, football teams win huge trophies and winemakers receive... certificates. Something is wrong! A Riesling cup made of pure gold would be perfect, we can almost see it in front of us: half a meter high, decorated with vines and delicate grapes, ice-cold, filled with a wonderful Graf Granit single-vineyard Riesling ... Ah yes.
No matter. We are still extremely proud of our paper certificates, which we can at least nail to the wall to save space. There are so many now that wall space is becoming scarce here in the winery. It's a good thing that the Internet offers endless space!
Our virtual Hall of Fame is a kind of replacement for the heroes' podium and trophy display case. The Riesling awards we have received in recent years are impressive (even if we say so ourselves). To be completely honest: We didn't expect this when we changed our direction a good 10 years ago...
But why are our premium Riesling wines so popular? What sets them apart from other Rieslings and why do they win so many awards everywhere?
Reason 1: Because they taste great.
Sure, of course!
What makes us particularly happy is that our wines have done extremely well in a wide range of competitions. Sometimes it was experts (sommeliers), sometimes wine connoisseurs (the guy next door), sometimes clever journalists, sometimes top chefs... but it was always blind tastings. In short: the jury members didn't know who they were awarding the prize to. And that's what matters.
That's actually enough. End of discussion!
Or maybe not? Because WHY does Graf von Weyher's Riesling taste so good? What is different about us at the Graf von Weyher winery? Do we have a secret ingredient? A real Palatinate magic spell? A brewing ritual that surpasses all other brewing rituals in the world? (Dancing backwards around the barrels in candlelight at midnight for the third time after storage?)
It's not quite that esoteric. But it can't be explained in one sentence either. That's why we'll give you a little glimpse behind the scenes in this blog post:
Reason 2: Riesling is our specialty.
25% of our cultivated area is planted with Riesling. Riesling was the first vine that our ancestors planted with hope back in 1788. You get to know each other when you live side by side for so long. And just like in a good and long-lasting marriage, as a smart partner you know what to do so that the other doesn't get angry. :-)
Reason 3: Our vineyards are located on four completely different rocks.
This is rare. And delicious. Because we harvest separately according to rock and location. This creates an incredibly diverse range of flavor nuances.
That was a real act of faith, because with this decision we made four premium Rieslings from one. At the same time, we massively reduced the yield and only got half of it out of the vineyard.
The decision to focus on quality rather than quantity took courage. Our first two terroir wines were our granite and slate sites , and a few years later, limestone marl and red sandstone followed. (Incidentally, here in Weyher there is the largest contiguous granite area in Germany, and overall you can only get very few other granite-site Rieslings! )
We find it fascinating how sensitively grapes react to their origin. It's as if you were letting nature speak. Professionals can determine the terroir of a wine purely through sensory perception during a blind tasting . (One sip, a moment of enjoyment and: " Aha, this little gem here grew on slate! ")
There is hardly a winemaker who can offer four different terroir wines with Riesling on a relatively small area. We admit that we are a little proud of that.
Reason 4: The art of the cellar
There are years full of rain and bad moods, in which we have to do a lot in the cellar . And there are years when the wine comes out of the press so happy that we just have to watch it develop with a smile. The trick is to intervene at the right moment and make the right adjustments. We sometimes cultivate our own yeasts - that's the icing on the cake.
Reason 5: They increase in value
Such a wine is not just a pleasure. Sometimes it is also a valuable investment. Even as young wines, our single-vineyard wines have a very rounded taste. At the same time, they mature wonderfully and develop a wonderful depth. You can find the older vintages in our treasure chamber: this is where our cellar gold from a wide variety of vintages and locations is stored.
So, now at a glance:
These are the awards our Riesling has won in the last decade:
- Young South Palatinate competition (one of the first of its kind) - three times 1st place in the 'Riesling' category and twice overall winner
- Competition Generation Pfalz - Multiple TOP 20
- International competition »Best of Riesling« - regularly top 10% – 2012 first place with Riesling Kabinett
- Lagencup Weiß Berlin – new wine competition – Top 10%
- AWC Vienna - 9x Gold and 12x Silver
- Federal Wine Awards of the DLG - 27x Gold Prize, 21x Silver Prize, 5x Bronze Prize
- Mundus Vini - 2x Gold and 5x Silver
- Chamber of Agriculture Rhineland-Palatinate - 124x gold, 99x silver, 12x bronze
- 10x State Honorary Awards
- 2x Grand State Prizes
- 1x Federal Honorary Award in Bronze
- German Wine Institute and DLG Germany's Best Young Winemakers - 2nd Place Peter Graf
The critical voice from off-screen
Sometimes people say to us: "Seriously? You celebrate Riesling, that sour stuff, when there are such wonderful French and Italian wines?"
Yes. We celebrate Riesling. It has a special acidity that makes it so incredibly versatile and therefore unique. Whether for a picnic or for the highlights in life - we have a bottle of Riesling for every occasion.
And anyway! Did you know that German Riesling was better known and more popular than French wine before the First World War? It enjoyed the highest international reputation. But then the German rulers lost their temper and suddenly it was no longer politically correct to consume German products. The people of the Palatinate sat on their wine and cried - with good reason. In desperation they sold the Riesling below the price, focusing on quantity rather than quality... and so it got the reputation of being sour and cheap. But those days are over now! (The Russians now have the problem.)
We invite you to taste all of our Riesling varieties (at the winery if you like, register now!). And then we want to know which one is your favorite! Because sour – oh, no, it is not sour!
You have no idea what we are actually talking about here? Taste our vineyards with the Riesling vineyard package offer!
Your Riesling-loving counts
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