Hochheimer Holle Riesling Eiswein
⏳ Drinking Window
2025 - 2060
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
blue cheese, classic apple tart, foie gras
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the legendary Hochheimer Hölle vineyard, whose name playfully translates to 'hell' but historically derives from the Middle High German word 'halde' (meaning slope), this rare Eiswein is a testament to extreme viticulture. To craft this liquid gold, Riesling grapes must remain on the vine into the freezing depths of winter, harvested by hand in the pre-dawn darkness at temperatures of -7°C or lower. The frozen grapes are pressed immediately while still frozen, leaving the water behind as ice crystals and yielding an incredibly concentrated, sweet nectar. The unique clay-loess soils of Hochheim, situated near the confluence of the Main and Rhine rivers, impart a distinct mineral tension that perfectly balances the wine's intense sweetness with electric, vibrant acidity.
🍾 About the Producer
Weingut Künstler traces an illustrious family winemaking lineage to 1648 in southern Moravia, before Franz Künstler re-established the estate in Hochheim am Main in 1965 following post-war expulsion. Gunter Künstler assumed direction in 1992, elevating the domaine into one of Germany's preeminent dry Riesling benchmarks and earning VDP membership in 1994. Spanning approximately 50 hectares, Künstler's vineyard portfolio centers on Hochheim's warm eastern Rheingau mesoclimate, featuring loess, loam, and mineral-dense limestone marl sloping down to the Main River, complemented by holdings in Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen. Viticulture is practiced under certified Fair'n Green sustainable standards, marked by meticulous canopy management, low yields, and strict selective hand-harvesting. Cellar work emphasizes slow, gentle pressing and extended lees maturation in traditional large neutral oak casks and stainless steel, capturing formidable textural richness alongside crystalline acidity. The estate is celebrated for power-driven, long-lived VDP.Große Gewächse from legendary sites including Hochheimer Hölle, Hochheimer Kirchenstück, and Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder.
🍇 Grapes
Riesling