Rotschiefer Riesling
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Spicy Thai curry, roasted pork belly, Wiener Schnitzel
✨ Technical Specifications
Van Volxem's Rotschiefer Riesling is a brilliant tribute to the rare red Devonian slate (Rotschiefer) soils found in select steep-slope vineyards of the Saar valley. While blue slate dominates the region, these iron-rich red slate pockets impart a distinctively warm, exotic, and spicy character to the wine, yielding notes of ripe apricot, yellow peach, and a complex mineral tension. Owner Roman Niewodniczanski and winemaker Dominik Völk champion a traditional, minimalist approach to capture this unique terroir. The grapes are harvested by hand at optimal ripeness, followed by a gentle pressing and spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts in traditional, neutral oak fuder casks. This patient, non-interventionist winemaking results in a textured, harmonious Riesling that beautifully balances the Saar's signature electric acidity with a rich, mineral-driven depth, echoing the legendary Saar wines of the late 19th century.
🍾 About the Producer
With viticultural roots reaching back to Roman antiquity and an 18th-century Jesuit monastery, Weingut Van Volxem is a historic estate situated in Wiltingen along the steep slopes of the Saar in Germany's Mosel region. The estate experienced a dramatic renaissance when Roman Niewodniczanski acquired it in 1999, dedicating the estate to restoring the Saar's historic reputation for world-class, dry-style wines crafted with artisanal precision. Working with venerable old vines across premier Grand Cru terroirs—including iconic sites like Scharzhofberger, Wiltinger Gottesfuss, and Kanzemer Altenberg—the winery practices low yields, hand-harvesting, and spontaneous fermentation in traditional wooden casks. Van Volxem is celebrated internationally for its powerful, mineral-etched Riesling Grosses Gewächs, old-vine cuvées, and expressive traditional method sparkling wines.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Riesling
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
11.5-12.5%