Lots of aroma with ripe exotic fruit and flowers on the nose. The full-bodied attack with a creamy and smooth character and the light hint of wood give the wine a rich and concentrated character. The subsoil of slate, limestone, as well as sand and rhyolite, gives the wine layers and elegance.

Weissburgunder

Classification: Qualitätswein

Color: Full-bodied white wine

Country: Germany

Region: Mosel-Saar

Producer: Weingut Van Volxem, Wiltingen

Grape varieties: Weissburgunder (pinot blanc)

Winemaking: After a manual harvest, the grapes are placed in stainless steel tanks for maceration and ultimately fermentation with wild, indigenous yeasts. This entire process of vinification and aging in stainless steel and barrique takes about 6 to 7 months and a minimum amount of sulfur is used, after which bottling takes place in May without fining.

Producer information: This estate is located in the historical center of Wiltingen, one of the most famous wine-growing communities on the Saar. As a former monastic wine estate of the Luxembourg Jesuits, it already owned large plots of vineyards in the best wine slopes of Wiltingen at the beginning of the 18th century, such as Scharzhofberger, Kupp, Klosterberg, and Gottesfuss. In 2003, Kanzemer Altenberg was added, which, like the other vineyards, was classified as Grand Cru in 1868. The average age of the vines is 40 years, with some exceptions such as the 120-year-old ungrafted vines in the Gottesfuss, one of the steepest and most renowned Saar parcels. Ungrafted rootstocks can grow on slate because the grape phylloxera cannot establish itself here. Roman Niewodniczanski, who took over the estate in 2000 and completely restored it, is a descendant of the Bittburger dynasty. His drive for quality is unstoppable and his aim is to optimally express the different top terroirs (steep, mineral-rich slate, sandstone, and rhyolite, especially in Ürzig). Major investments have been made in the vineyards for this purpose, and the grapes are always harvested late and by hand in different phases at the end of October/November. In 2019, the new ultra-modern cellar was put into use, an architecturally striking building in the still classic Saar/Mosel region.

Area information: The Mosel wine region, which also includes the tributaries the Saar and the Ruwer, is the oldest and one of the most beautiful wine regions (totaling almost 8,800 ha) in Germany. Wonderful wines come from here, especially based on the renowned Riesling grape. The reason this grape does so well in this region between Koblenz and Trier is due to a combination of climate and soil. The cool, northern climate ensures that the grape has to ripen for a long time and beautiful acids are preserved. The Saar Bereich is less sheltered from the cold wind and therefore these wines are often somewhat more reserved in structure. This brings a higher acid content, which allows them to be stored longer. Due to the warming climate, the Saar increasingly has the advantage of being the coolest region in the Mosel area. The soil works favorably in two ways. Firstly, there is the location of the vineyards, on the steep slopes of the banks of the Mosel and its tributaries. The most beautiful slopes face west, receiving the most hours of sunshine. The variation in the quality of the vineyards is enormous. The Mosel is the German river with the most bends, so the slopes face in all directions. In addition, there is the subsoil itself. The best soil contains a lot of slate. This has the property of retaining the sun's heat from the day into the evening hours and thus warming the grapes a bit more. As a result, the ripening process proceeds gradually. On the flatter parts along the river, mainly müller-thurgau is grown.

Serving suggestions: With fish dishes, shellfish and crustaceans, light meat dishes and poultry, vegetable dishes, asparagus, pastas, cured hams and sausages, mild creamy cheeses.

Serving temperature: 8 to 10ºC

Other information: Wine was already being made here in Roman times. The current traditional buildings of Van Volxem are partly built on foundations from that era. Van Volxem's aim for the dry wines is a digestible wine with an alcohol content of around 12%.