Saar Riesling
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Spicy Thai curry, pan-seared trout, roasted pork belly
✨ Technical Specifications
The Van Volxem Saar Riesling is a masterful liquid tribute to the steep, slate-strewn slopes of the Saar Valley, a region where viticulture dates back to the Roman Empire. Sourced from historic vineyards characterized by weathered Devonian slate, this estate wine captures the cool-climate tension and dramatic topography of the region. Roman Niewodniczanski's philosophy of minimal intervention shines here, utilizing spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in traditional large oak fuder casks. The resulting wine is a harmonious expression of the Saar, balancing a vibrant, electric acidity with a textured, mineral-rich core. It carries the legacy of the region's ancient winemaking heritage, offering a sensory journey through smoky slate minerality and bright, sun-ripened stone fruits.
🍾 About the Producer
Perched dramatically above the Saar River in Wiltingen, Weingut Van Volxem is one of Germany's most heralded historic wine estates. Originating as a Roman villa complex with viticulture traced back to the 3rd century, the property operated as a Jesuit monastery winery established in 1743 before being acquired post-secularization by Brussels brewer Gustav van Volxem. In late 1999, Roman Niewodniczanski acquired the estate and orchestrated an ambitious renaissance, revitalizing storied steep-slope vineyards and inaugurating a state-of-the-art gravity-fed winery atop the Wiltinger Schlossberg. Managing approximately 85 hectares on Devonian slate across top-tier VDP.Grosse Lage sites—such as Scharzhofberger, Wiltinger Gottesfuß, Volz, and Ockfener Bockstein—the estate works predominantly with old, ungrafted Riesling vines. Practicing sustainable, non-interventional viticulture, cellar master Dominik Völk champions spontaneous wild-yeast fermentations and extended aging in neutral oak and stainless steel. Van Volxem produces intensely mineral, low-alcohol, dry-leaning Rieslings and refined sparkling Sekts that revive the aristocratic, turn-of-the-century prestige of traditional Saar wines.
🍇 Grapes
Riesling
🍷 ABV
11.5-12.5%