Wine knowledge from the Palatinate – Terroir, grape varieties & sustainable viticulture

What makes a great Riesling? How do granite, limestone marl, colored sandstone, and slate shape a wine's character? And why are PiWi grape varieties like Cabernet blanc the future of sustainable viticulture?
In our wine knowledge section, we'll take you into the world of terroir, climate, soils, grape varieties, and Palatinate wine culture – straight from our family winery, established in 1788. At the same time, with a wink and Palatinate charm, we'll give you a glimpse behind the scenes of our winery. Enjoy our WineTalk!

Wine Knowledge

Let's talk about bottlenecks.

When a winegrower hears the word bottleneck, a pleasant tingling runs down his (or her) back - after all, it is the quintessence of beauty and goodness through which the wonderful wine comes to us.

But in the last twelve months, the word bottleneck has taken on a whole new dimension... with a pretty concrete impact on our day-to-day winemaking, because in English the word »bottle neck« is used for bottlenecks. And we have more than enough of that at the moment! We had already reported that the bottles were running out a bit. We've solved the problem (although the color doesn't always stay the same).

However, if such an elementary thing as a normal bottle can no longer be bought thoughtlessly at the push of a button, winegrowers get a little nervous. You toss and turn in bed at night thinking about things that you thought were impossible a year ago...

Bend without breaking

Every child knows that winegrowers have to recognize fine nuances of taste. But we also have to show a lot of sensitivity in other areas - and especially at this time of the year. Because now it's time to bend without breaking!

First of all, the weather has to be right. The vines must have a little more juice than in winter so that they are not too dry and brittle. Ideally, a steady drizzle should be added. When the time is right, let's get started:

img_Amtliche-Pruefnummer_Buerokratie_und_Wein_Weingut_Graf-von-Weyher_Pfalz

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The bureaucracy and the wine

Actually, one would think that bureaucracy and wine cover two opposite ends of the spectrum. Unfortunately, however, they are closely intertwined. The first wines of the new vintage can be bottled these days! (Hurrah!) But what many don't know...

img Preisverleihung Bundesehrenpreis 2022 Weingut Graf von Weyher

And the winner is... the Palatinate!

The Federal Honorary Award is the highest award that a food company can receive. It has been awarded annually by the Federal Ministry of Food & Agriculture since 1951. The results of the quality tests by the DLG (German Agricultural Society) form the basis.

We at the Graf von Weyher winery have received several special awards in recent years , including second best young winemaker (Peter Graf), for our single-vineyard Rieslings, for our sustainability pioneer (Cabernet Blanc) and for the best collection matured in wooden barrels. But this year we are on the podium for the first time in the overall rating and have received a national honorary award in bronze ! This puts us among the 18 best wineries in the competition . And we're a little proud of that...