Robert Weil Rheingau Riesling Trocken 375ml 2024

Robert Weil Rheingau Riesling Trocken 375ml is a dry Rheingau Riesling in a half bottle.

A half bottle is a sensible thing to have on hand, whether for a solo dinner or a second white at the end of a meal, and this is the estate's dry entry-level Riesling in that format. Fruit is blended from high-sited parcels around the village of Kiedrich, including Sandgrub, a substantial share of steep southwest-facing Wasseros next to the Gräfenberg vines, and some high-sited Hallgarten material. Stony fragmented phyllite mixed with loess and loam underpins them all. Nearly all of it is fermented in stainless steel, with about five per cent in large oak. Weil has been in Kiedrich since 1875.

Dry and precise, with lemon, pear skin, white flower and a stony, mineral close. Serve at 10 degrees. It works beside grilled prawns, a green salad with goat cheese, or a piece of poached fish with dill.

*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: 375mL
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.

The half bottle of Weil's estate Riesling is handy for a solo dinner or a second white at the end of a meal. The fruit comes from high-sited parcels around Kiedrich, including Sandgrub and Wasseros, plus some from higher sites at Hallgarten, on stony phyllite mixed with loess and loam, and it is fermented almost entirely in stainless steel. 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.

Light Meals: Ham and fried egg on rye
Seafood: Grilled prawns or poached fish with dill
Salads: Green salad with goat's cheese
Snacks: Pretzels and soft cheese

Bergkäse (young): A mild mountain cheese, good with a light Riesling
Chèvre Log: Fresh and tangy, a classic Riesling partner
Harzer: A small, sharp German sour-milk cheese; the wine's acidity stands up to it
Havarti: Soft and buttery, easy with a crisp white

Strammer Max (Ham and Fried Egg on Rye)

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 2 thick slices rye or sourdough bread
• Butter, for spreading and frying
• 4 slices good-quality ham (or Black Forest ham)
• 2 eggs
• Salt and black pepper
• A few gherkins and chopped chives, to serve

Instructions:

1. Butter the bread and fry it, buttered side down, in a frying pan until golden. Lift onto plates.
2. Warm the ham briefly in the same pan and lay it over the bread.
3. Add a little more butter and fry the eggs sunny side up until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.
4. Slide an egg on top of each slice and season with salt and pepper.
5. Scatter with chives and serve with gherkins.

Strammer Max is a German pub classic, a quick plate of fried bread, ham and egg that has fed generations of late-night drinkers and busy cooks. A crisp, dry Riesling cuts through the buttery bread and egg yolk, and a half bottle is just right for a simple supper.