Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2055
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
blue cheese, fruit-based desserts, spicy Asian cuisine
✨ Technical Specifications
The legendary Scharzhofberg is arguably the most famous vineyard site in the Saar valley, with viticultural roots stretching back to Roman times and monastic stewardship under the Abbey of St. Marien in Trier during the Middle Ages. Van Volxem's parcels in this iconic, south-facing steep slope benefit from a unique, cool microclimate and deep, weathered Devonian slate soils. The Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese is a masterclass in balance, where the naturally vibrant acidity of the Saar perfectly counters the luscious sweetness of late-harvested, noble-rot-affected grapes. Crafted using traditional methods, including spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts and aging in large, neutral oak fuder casks, this wine captures the intense mineral tension, salty complexity, and ethereal stone fruit notes that have made this vineyard famous worldwide.
🍾 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
7-8.5%