Reputation Precedes
Traditionally ranked as the top three white varieties by connoisseurs, alongside Chardonnay (championed by Grand Cru White Burgundy) and Sauvignon Blanc (boasting Premier Cru White Bordeaux), Riesling might yet have the last laugh. It is the only white variety capable of producing fine wines across the spectrum: from bone-dry, half-dry, feinherb (off-dry), lieblich (semi-sweet), to süß (sweet) and edelsüß (noble sweet).
Whether still, effervescent, or as Sekt (German sparkling wine), Riesling’s perfumed aromas, pristine purity, cleansing minerality, refreshing acidity, and profuse fruitiness never fail to impress. Those charmed and captured by Riesling often disregard the relativist aphorism à chacun son goût (each to their own taste), turning to embrace aesthetic absolutism.
Heart of Europe and Romanticism
Sometime after Augustus Caesar (63BC-14AD), the Romans brought viticulture to what is now Germany, south of Limes Germanicus, which is still roughly the boundary of wine production in the Old World. Of the 13 Weinanbaugebiete (wine regions), Mosel and Rheingau, as per conventional wisdom, are the epitomes of feminine and masculine styles of Riesling. Situated equidistant from two illustrious neighbours, Mittelrhein enjoys Mosel-style slate soil and Rheingau-style mild continental climate, hence its unique – if eclectic – style.
List of
Weinanbaugebiete
(alphabetical order)
Ahr
Baden
Franken
Hessische BergstraSse
Mittelrhein
Mosel
Nahe
Pfalz
Rheingau
Rheinhessen
Saale-Unstrut
Sachsen
Württemberg
For its culture, architecture, and stunning landscape, Oberes Mittelrheintal (Upper Middle Rhine Valley) is one of Germany’s 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is no wonder that the region served as the source of inspiration for many composers, painters, philosophers, and poets of German Romanticism.
Located in the southern half of Mittelrhein, Oberwesel has a population of less than 3,000, but as its coat of arms – Reichsadler – reveals, this 800-year-old city was as important as the modern metropolis Frankfurt in the Middle Ages, and it was a freie Reichsstadt (Free Imperial City) of the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806), until mediatisation took place between 1795 and 1814, instigated by the French Revolution.
The Family and the Estate
Weingut Lanius-Knab is one of the five VDP estates in Mittelrhein, and the only one in Oberwesel. The Lanius family has been here since 1763, the year Prussia emerged victorious from the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) under the leadership of Frederick the Great (1712-1786). To this day, Jörg and his wife Anja are the seventh generation of proprietor-vintner of the estate. Having worked in the estate since childhood, Jörg took the helm in 1991, inheriting not just an estate, but also family pride and tradition.
Well-versed with local history, Jörg explains, “Oberwesel has been a wine-producing region for two millennia. As elsewhere in Europe, the Church was instrumental in wine. Governed by the Archbishopric-Electorate of Trier, the Cistercian Kloster Eberbach – the largest vineyard in medieval Europe – used to own all of Oberwesel’s vineyards. Power and politics continued: when Napoleon conquered here, he re-distributed all ecclesiastical vineyards to the people, hence the numerous estates in Mittelrhein. After the fall of Napoleon, due to administrative reasons, the Prussians established Mittelrhein, separate from Rheingau.”
Of the eight hectares of his vineyards, an impressive 2.5 hectares are classified as Große Lage (equivalent to Grand Cru), and 3 hectares as Erste Lage (equivalent to Premier Cru). While 92 percent of vines are Riesling, the rest are Spätburgunder (ie Pinot Noir) and Müller-Thurgau, producing between 15 and 20 wines per year. Riesling’s renowned terroir-expressiveness is perfectly demonstrated by Jörg’s three prized vineyards: Engehöller Bernstein, Engehöller Goldemund, and Oberweseler Oelsberg. All three have been producing wine continuously for the past five centuries.
2012 Rheingold Riesling Kabinett
From Engehöller Goldemund, this feinherb Riesling offers arrays of fruits wave after wave. Supported by lively acidity and refreshing minerality, its alcohol content – at 12% – is almost undetectable.
2012 Engehöller Bernstein “S” Riesling Spätlese Erste Lage
From Engehöller Bernstein, harvest for this lieblich Riesling was as late as October / November, hence Spätlese (late harvest). Fine fruits, elegant sweetness, and ample acidity in unison, this wine is both intense and harmonious.
2010 Oberweseler Oelsberg Riesling Beerenauslese Große Lage
From Oberweseler Oelsberg, this edelsüß Riesling is made with 100% botrytised berries. Full of concentrated exotic fruits and minerals, this is the elixir of a wine.
2011 Engehöller Bernstein Riesling Großes Gewächs
Made with old vine (45+ years) Riesling from Engehöller Bernstein, Jörg’s flagship wine is truly impressive. Intense and spicy, this wine is bursting with complex notes supported by an alegant structure.
VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikats
– und Qualitätsweingüter)
Founded in 1910 – during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II
– as Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer, then with Lord Mayor of Trier – Germany’s oldest city – Albert von Bruchhausen (1859-1948) as the first chairman; today’s VDP comprises around 200 estates from all 13 Wineanbaugebiete. Membership of VDP is highly selective and prestigious, not unlike that of Grand Cru Burgundy or Premier Cru Bordeaux.
To discover the allure of Riesling from Mittelrhein, visit
CONTACT | Weingut Lanius-Knab | Mr Jörg Lanius | www.lanius-knab.de/en/
[email protected] | T +49 (0) 6744 8104 | F +49 (0) 6744 1537 | A Mainzer Straße 38, 55430 Oberwesel, Germany
CONTACT | Wein Wilbers | Mr Peter Wilbers | www.weinwilbers.de
[email protected] | T +49 (0) 234 9432214 | F +49 (0) 234 9432215 | A In der Uhlenflucht 27, 44795 Bochum, Germany