Weingut Robert Weil

Viticulture with a dazzling past at the Robert Weil Winery

The German winery Robert Weil in the Rheingau region has a long tradition of ecclesiastical and aristocratic viticulture. As early as 1867, Dr. Robert Weil acquired his first vineyards in the Kiedrich Hills and became a resident of Kiedrich eight years later when he took over the estate of Sir John Sutton, a noble patron of the arts. Previously, Robert Weil worked at the Sorbonne in Paris, but had to give up his chair in the run-up to the Franco-Prussian War.

In addition to his newfound winemaking activities, Robert Weil worked as a journalist. Nevertheless, he put his energy into his newly acquired winery and successively expanded it with new vineyard lots in the Kiedrich hillsides. His demand was for the highest quality, and so the Robert Weil winery was soon celebrating international success. His Riesling selections were delivered to many emperors and royal houses of Europe and served as white counterparts to the great Bordeaux wines.

But the middle classes also drank Weil's Rieslings at the turn of the century. From Berlin's Hotel Adlon to the grand hotels of other major metropolises, the wines from the Robert Weil winery were served.

in 1920, Robert Weil handed over the reins of the winery to his son Dr. Wilhelm Weil. He was committed to wine politics and so the Weingut Dr.Weil was registered in the then VDP from 1907. He led the company through the difficult war years and then brought it back to its former success. From 1959, Dr. Wilhelm Weil's son Robert Weil continued to run the winery. Since 1987, the great-grandson of the founder, Wilhelm Weil, has been in charge of the winery Robert Weil and led the winery into the modern age. The trained winemaker invested far-sightedly in the cellar and vineyard and introduced the Tiffany blue label. He does not use herbicides and fertilizes the vines, some of which are more than 50 years old, exclusively organically. Intensive selective hand harvesting rarely begins before October at the Robert Weil winery and lasts up to 17 passes. The results are internationally appreciated, high-quality Rieslings.

The Robert Weil Rieslings

The Rieslings from Weingut Robert Weil are characterized by the special features of the Kiedrich mountain sites. This makes the Weil Rieslings elegant and complex at the same time. It is to this inimitable style that the Weil Rieslings owe their worldwide fame and that they are considered a symbol of German Riesling culture.

The 90 hectares of vineyards of Weingut Robert Weil are planted exclusively with Riesling. Focused on sustainability, the work in the vineyard and in the cellar is strictly quality-oriented and controlled environmentally friendly. Fertilization is purely organic, the vineyards are planted with vegetation, and herbicides are not used.

The Weil Rieslings are available dry and fruuchsüß, the wines are not only perfect as food companions, but also make a super figure as soloists. Fine acidity, natural residual sweetness and extract harmonize perfectly and give the Weil Rieslings their unique character. The vineyards of Weingut Robert Weil are among the best in the Rheingau and are located in the foothills of the Taunus ridge. The vines, which are up to 50 years old, have a planting density of 5,000 to 6,000 vines per hectare.

The harvest and processing

Rarely does the Robert Weil winery begin harvesting before October, which then takes at least 8 weeks. The hand harvest is strictly selective with up to 17 passes in the vineyard. In this way, all predicates up to Trockenbeerenauslese are harvested. This process has been followed year after year since 1989. The grapes are then processed very gently. The grapes are transported to the presses by means of vibratory grape trolleys, which means that the grapes are transported vertically. Following the gentle pressing, the musts are transported by drop pressure to the collection tank farm, where they are pre-clarified by means of natural sedimentation.

Which container is chosen for which wine depends on the intended style of the wine. Full-bodied and dry wines, for example, are fermented and aged in large wooden barrels, as this allows them to develop complex structures through micro-oxidation. The lighter, fruity and noble sweet wines are aged in stainless steel, because this is the best way to bring out their finesse and elegance. Fermentation is temperature-controlled and, if possible - depending on the vintage - spontaneous over 6-12 wolves. After fermentation, aging and filtration, the wines are bottled quickly and gently. In this way, the primary fruit is brought to the bottle without loss of aromas and is allowed to mature further in the bottle.

The classifications

Robert Weil wines are available in four classifications:

• VDP.GUTSWEIN
• VDP.ORTSWEIN
• VDP.ERSTE LAGE®
• VDP.GROSSE LAGE®

The vineyard sites

• Kiedricher Turmberg: VDP.ERSTE LAGE®
• Kiedricher Klosterberg: VDP.ERSTE LAGE®
• Kiedricher Gräfenberg: VDP.GROSSE LAGE®