What is Rieslaner?

Rieslaner is a relatively young grape variety, bred in 1921. Its name already hints at its "parents," as it is a cross between Riesling and Silvaner. Traditionally from Franconia, Rieslaner can now also be found in the Palatinate, but it remains a distinct niche wine: Only about 0.065% of the total vineyard area in Germany is planted with Rieslaner, and what's more: plantings outside of Germany are unknown.

Rieslaner is characterized by its high acidity, requiring a long storage period before it can be enjoyed. That's why we have only been offering our 2019 Beerenauslese since the 2022 season.

The acidity of Rieslaner also provides two special features: the bottled wines can be stored for decades, and the fine acidity harmoniously balances the sweetness of this Beerenauslese. An exceptional niche wine that, in our opinion, will make a name for itself!

Location of our Rieslaner

Our Rieslaner grows in the Palatinate vineyard named "Burrweiler Altenforst," covering an area of only 1,093 square meters. The Rieslaner vine has high demands on its location (it must be sunny and dry) but few on the soil. Therefore, our slate soil is ideal for cultivation: it provides a warm and dry base, which is extremely important for the long ripening period in autumn.

Burrweiler Altenforst is also our first vineyard to be equipped with an irrigation system. This allows us to provide some relief to the grapes during particularly hot weather periods through sparse drip irrigation, thereby guaranteeing better grape quality.

Processing of our Rieslaner

Rieslaner is a grape variety ideally suited for Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. For this type of selection, the berries must dehydrate on the vine. This means the berries remain on the vine until the Beerenauslese status is reached. For this, they must achieve an Oechsle degree of at least 110°Oe. (The Oechsle degree defines the sugar content of the wine.) So, it's an exciting race against time! At the end of October, we check the berries daily to catch exactly the right moment. If conditions are not optimal, we cannot wait for the Beerenauslese status but must harvest the grapes immediately.

However, when the correct Oechsle degree is reached, harvesting begins immediately: We pick the grapes individually by hand, paying strict attention to quality. Due to the long waiting period, the yield is generally very low.

If, however, the autumn is wet and cold, the grapes rot on the vine, and the berries can no longer be harvested. The year 2019 provided us with an ideal (hot and dry) autumn for Beerenauslese. Unfortunately, the wetter autumns of 2020 and 2021 did not allow for any Beerenauslese.

Due to the high sweetness and very slow alcoholic fermentation, patience is required. We waited three years until, in 2022, we were able to proudly launch our Rieslaner Beerenauslese for the first time.

Taste

Our Beerenauslese is a small, fine drop. This noble sweet wine rarity, with its mature taste, has high acidity and thus finely balances the sweetness. Therefore, this dessert wine, which is often enjoyed as an aperitif or digestif, tastes completely different from a grappa or a sherry. With only 11% vol., it is also exceptionally light.

Its typical aromas are passion fruit, citrus, and peach. It is intense, aromatic, and very powerful: a precious wine with a deep golden color that should be slowly savored sip by sip. A feeling like a holiday in the south… with sunshine in a glass.

Limited Edition

For us, this wine is a real highlight, as it is the very first time we are offering the Rieslaner grape variety as a Beerenauslese for sale. The yield is small: there are only 390 bottles!

The following reasons convinced us that it deserves a Limited Edition, with each bottle individually numbered:

• extremely rare grape variety
• rare harvest opportunity (last harvest in 2019)
• high proportion of manual labor (selective harvesting)
• long maturation period after harvest (three years)
• great shelf life (can be stored in bottles for decades)

In short: Our Rieslaner Beerenauslese is a rarity for wine lovers, a premium wine for life's highlights.