Schiefer Riesling
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2026
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Spicy Thai curry, pan-seared trout, roasted pork belly
✨ Technical Specifications
Van Volxem's Schiefer Riesling is a vibrant tribute to the steep, slate-strewn slopes of the Saar valley. The name 'Schiefer' translates directly to slate, honoring the Devonian slate soils that define this cool-climate region and give the wine its distinct mineral character. Sourced from historic steep-slope vineyards, this estate wine is crafted using traditional methods, including spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts and aging in large, neutral oak fuder casks. This ancestral approach preserves the electric acidity of the Riesling grape while building a textured, harmonious mouthfeel that captures the wild, stony essence of the river valley.
🍾 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%