Robert Weil Rheingau Riesling Trocken 2022

Robert Weil's Rheingau Riesling Trocken is the estate's dry blend from the higher vineyards around the village of Kiedrich.

Kiedrich lies in the eastern Rheingau, where the Taunus foothills turn south towards the Rhine and Riesling has been the only grape worth planting for centuries. Weingut Robert Weil, founded in the 1860s, farms the steep classified slopes above the village and a spread of higher sites around it, and this estate wine is blended from the latter. Sandgrub contributes, as does a good measure of Wasseros, a steep south-west facing vineyard that runs up against the Gräfenberg vines. The soils across these parcels are stony, fragmented phyllite laced with loess and loam, which gives the wine its firm, dry core without the concentration of the single-site bottlings. Vinification is straightforward and designed to keep the fruit clear: stainless steel for the bulk of the wine, with roughly 5 per cent fermented in large oak for a little breadth.

Ready on release and holding for around five years. Serve at 10-12°C with grilled fish, roast chicken or a plate of prosciutto and melon.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: White Wine
Style: Light-bodied, Dry, Precise
Grape Varietal: Riesling
Tastes Like: Comparable to a dry Riesling, but lighter in alcohol, with a slightly softer, rounder texture behind its high acidity
Alcohol Percentage: 12%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Rheingau Qualitätswein (VDP.Gutswein)
Region: Kiedrich, Rheingau, Germany
Terroir: Stony, broken phyllite with loess and loam, from vineyards around Kiedrich
Aging: Fermented and aged about six months mostly in stainless steel, with around 5% in large oak
Serving Temperature: 8–10℃ – Serve chilled

Weingut Robert Weil was founded by Dr Robert Weil, a former professor of German at the Sorbonne, who bought his first vineyards on the Kiedricher Berg in 1867 and established the estate in Kiedrich in 1875. An 1893 Gräfenberg Auslese bought by the Austrian imperial court helped make its name. Japanese drinks group Suntory took a majority stake in 1988 and funded major investment, while the Weil family continues to run the estate, now led by the founder’s great-grandson Wilhelm Weil. Today it farms around 90 hectares, all planted to Riesling, organically since the 2012 vintage.

Kiedrich sits in the western Rheingau, where the Taunus hills rise behind the Rhine and protect the vineyards from cold northerly winds. The estate Riesling Trocken comes from vineyards around Kiedrich alongside the estate’s classified sites, with stony, broken phyllite soils interlaced with loess and loam. It is fermented and aged almost entirely in stainless steel, with a small portion in large oak, to keep the focus on purity and precision. 2022 was a warm year that still gave Riesling of bright, coiled intensity.

Seafood: Perfect with trout, scallops, oysters or grilled white fish
Asian: Excellent with Vietnamese salads, sushi or lightly spiced Thai dishes
Pork and Poultry: Pairs beautifully with schnitzel, roast pork or chicken
Vegetarian: Ideal with white asparagus, salads and vegetable tarts

Handkäse: Hesse’s tangy sour-milk cheese, freshened by the wine’s bright acidity
Allgäuer Bergkäse: A firm German alpine cheese, nutty against the wine’s minerality
Munster: Washed-rind and pungent, a classic match for dry Riesling
Fresh goat’s cheese: Chalky and lactic, lifted by the wine’s crisp finish

Forelle Müllerin Art (Pan-fried Trout with Brown Butter and Parsley Potatoes)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 4 whole rainbow trout, about 300g each, cleaned
• 60g plain flour, seasoned with salt and white pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 100g unsalted butter
• 1 lemon, juiced, plus lemon wedges to serve
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional)
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 800g small waxy potatoes, such as Kipfler
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Instructions:

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain and keep warm.
2. Rinse the trout and pat dry inside and out. Season the cavities with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
3. Dust the fish lightly in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.
4. Heat the oil and 20g of the butter in one or two large frying pans over medium-high heat.
5. Fry the trout for 5–6 minutes on each side until the skin is golden and crisp and the flesh comes away from the bone.
6. Transfer the trout to warm plates. Wipe out the pan and add the remaining butter.
7. Cook the butter over medium heat until it foams and turns a light hazelnut brown, then add the lemon juice, capers and half the parsley.
8. Toss the potatoes with a little of the brown butter and the rest of the parsley.
9. Spoon the remaining butter over the trout and serve with the potatoes and lemon wedges.

Trout from the streams of the Taunus hills above the Rheingau is a fixture of Hessian taverns, and it is one of the classic partners for dry Rheingau Riesling. The wine’s high, precise acidity cuts through the brown butter in the same way the lemon does, while its light body and dry finish let the delicate flavour of the trout shine.