Robert Weil Rheingau Riesling Trocken 2024

Robert Weil Rheingau Riesling Trocken is the estate's dry entry-level Riesling, blended from high-sited vineyards around Kiedrich.

The blend draws on high-sited parcels dotted around the village, among them the splendidly named Sandgrub and a good measure of Wasseros, a steep southwest-facing vineyard that runs right up against the Gräfenberg vines, with a smaller contribution from high sites at Hallgarten. Soils across these blocks are typically stony fragmented phyllite laced with loess and loam, which is what puts the mineral edge into a wine at this price. Vinification is straightforward: stainless steel for nearly all of it, with roughly five per cent fermented in large oak for a little breadth. It sets a very high bar for an entry wine.

Crisp, dry and clean, with lime, green apple, white flowers and a slatey finish. Serve it cold, around 10 degrees. Good with oysters, fish and chips, a chicken salad, or simply on its own before dinner on a warm evening.

*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 to medium-bodied, dry
Grape Varietal: Riesling
Tastes Like: A crisp, dry German Riesling, light to medium in body, made in a precise, dry style
Alcohol Percentage: 12% (est.)
Closure: Screwcap
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Rheingau, Qualitätswein trocken (dry); VDP.Gutswein (the estate-wine level, the first step of the VDP's four-tier classification of vineyards)
Region: Rheingau, Germany
Terroir: Estate vineyards next to Weil's classified hillside sites around Kiedrich, including Sandgrub and Wasseros, with a smaller share from higher sites at Hallgarten; stony phyllite with loess and loam
Aging: Mostly fermented in stainless steel, with about 5 per cent in large oak casks
Serving Temperature: 10-12°C

Weingut Robert Weil is the family estate at Kiedrich in the Rheingau, the stretch of Germany's Rhine west of Wiesbaden where the vineyards look south over the river. Dr Robert Weil, a professor of German at the Sorbonne in Paris, bought his first vineyards in Kiedrich in 1867 and founded the estate in 1875. Four generations of the family have run it, and the founder's great-grandson Wilhelm Weil has led it since 1987. The estate grows only Riesling, on about 90 hectares, with its classified hillside vineyards on slopes of up to 60 per cent, facing south-west and rising to 240 metres. Grapes are picked by hand in several selective passes, the full range of Prädikat levels has been harvested in every vintage since 1989, the estate is certified organic, and it has been a member of the VDP, the association of Germany's leading wine estates, since 1907.

This is Weil's estate Riesling, blended from high-sited parcels around Kiedrich, including Sandgrub and a good share of Wasseros, a steep slope that runs up against the Gräfenberg vines, with some fruit from high sites at Hallgarten. Nearly all of it is fermented in stainless steel, with about 5 per cent in large oak for a little breadth. 2024 was a wet year that refilled the soils' water reserves; budburst came about ten days early, a late-April frost passed without damage, and harvest began at the end of September.

Starters: Sausage salad with onion and gherkins
Seafood: Oysters or fish and chips
Light Meals: Chicken schnitzel with lemon
Asian Dishes: Thai fishcakes

Emmentaler: Mild and nutty, it appears in the salad below and suits a crisp Riesling
Tilsiter: A semi-hard German cheese with a gentle tang
Gouda (young): Creamy and mild, an easy partner
Feta: Salty and fresh, good with the wine's acidity on a warm day

Pfälzer Wurstsalat (Palatinate Sausage Salad)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 400g Fleischwurst or mortadella-style cooked sausage, cut into thin strips
• 150g Emmentaler, cut into thin strips (optional)
• 1 red onion, very thinly sliced
• 4 gherkins, cut into strips, plus 2 tbsp of their pickling liquid
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and black pepper
• Chopped chives, and rye bread or pretzels to serve

Instructions:

1. Put the sausage, cheese, onion and gherkins in a bowl.
2. Whisk the vinegar, pickling liquid, mustard and oil and season well.
3. Pour over the salad, toss and leave for at least 30 minutes so the sausage absorbs the dressing.
4. Taste for seasoning, adding a little more vinegar if needed.
5. Scatter with chives and serve with rye bread or pretzels.

Wurstsalat is a wine-tavern staple in the Palatinate and across southern Germany, a sharp, tangy plate to eat with a glass of local wine. A dry estate Riesling suits it perfectly: the wine's acidity matches the vinegar and gherkins and refreshes after each bite of sausage.