Weingut Weiser-Künstler, Mosel, Zoom Master Class by Stephen Bitterolf, Vom Boden, USA/ Germany

Pictures: Christian Schiller in McLean, Virginia,  Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler in New York City and Christian Schiller, Stephen Bitterolf, Annette Schiller in New York City. See: A German Riesling Feast in New York City: Rieslingfeier 2016, USA 

 

 “These are consistently among the top wines produced anywhere in the Mosel, made from painstakingly strict selections from prime steep vineyards planted with old un-grafted vines. Yet prices remain moderate… Savvy readers should plunge on these wines.” - David Rayer & Jean Fish, Mosel Fine Wine Review 

 

Weingut Weiser-Künstler is a small producer of fine Mosel wines both in the dry and fruity-sweet style. In the USA it is represented by New York City based importer Vom Boden. When Vom Boden founder and owner Stephen Bitterolf invited me to a Zoom tasting of Weingut Weiser-Künstler wines, initially I though he was visiting Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler in Traben-Trabach and streaming from there. 

 

As it turned out, he was in New York City and conducted a most educational and entertaining presentation of Weingut Weiser-Künstler and 3 grand cru wines from there, using Google Earth. Almost 100 people followed with me Stephen's first class presentation, with or without the 3 grand cru wines. 

 

Annette and I have not yet visited Weingut Weiser-Künstler on an ombiasy wine tour but plan to do this on the next German-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours, probably in 2023. 

 

We have met Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler a few times in New York during a "Rieslingfeier". See: A German Riesling Feast in New York City: Rieslingfeier 2016, USA 

 

I am looking forward to many more presentations of Stephen Bitterolf, not only because he is a very good presenter but also his portfolio includes many most interesting German winemakers. 

 

In the audience was - to my surprise - Robert Frank, who is coming with Annette Schiller and me on both the Rhône Valley Tour and the Germany South - Alsace Tour by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours in June/ July. See you there Bobby. If you are interested in joining us see: Announcement: 3 Ombiasy Wine Tours in 2022 - Rhône Valley Tour: June 20 - June 29, Germany South - Alsace: July 01 - July 10, Bordeaux: September 20 - September 29 

 

The Weiser-Künstler Master Class - Wednesday, May 4th at 7:00pm EST

 

Vom Boden: Weiser-Künstler is one of the most respected, most influential growers in the Mosel – they are the ultimate “winemaker’s winemaker.” 

 

Yet, because of both supply-side challenges (they make just excruciatingly small quantities of wine) as well as the rather cerebral quality of their wines, they remain curiously unknown in the US. 

 

It’s a strange situation: A small minority fanatically collects these wines while a larger audience seems to have no context or experience with them.

 

This is what we want to change. For me, there are few growers in the Mosel with more depth or soul. Perhaps these are not the easiest wines, but this is part of their magic – and they are unquestionably singular in the landscape of Mosel wine and they deserve their moment in the spotlight.

 

So Wednesday, May 4th at 7:00pm EST, please join me for this tribute to my friends Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler and the soulful, profound wines they lovingly make.

 

Yes, this will be a Zoom tasting (sorry about that) BUT, we will be sending every participant a custom Google Earth presentation that we’ll be using to really give everyone (literally) a 3D experience that we hope will be impactful.

 

The class will use Weiser-Künstler’s three Grand Cru bottlings – the Ellergrub, Gaispfad and Steffensberg – as guideposts along our route, focusing on these three sites and their importance and individuality in the context of the Mosel.

 

You certainly don’t have to have all or any of these wines to join, but we strongly encourage you to have them on hand AND, uniquely, this year we can help you get them! Because of the pandemic many restaurants in Europe had to cancel their allocations, so we have a bit more than normal and for once, we may actually have enough quantity to send some to you.

 

Email us at orders@vomboden.com and we will do our best to put you in touch with an authorized Weiser-Künstler dealer near you. We will also add you to the list to receive the Zoom link and Google Earth presentation.

 

If you have any questions please reach out and I hope to see you May 4th.

 

Pictures: Weingut Weiser-Künstler, Mosel, Zoom Master Class by Stephen Bitterolf, Vom Boden, USA/ Germany

Vom Boden: Weingut Weiser-Künstler

“These are consistently among the top wines produced anywhere in the Mosel, made from painstakingly strict selections from prime steep vineyards planted with old un-grafted vines. Yet prices remain moderate… Savvy readers should plunge on these wines.”

-David Rayer & Jean Fish, Mosel Fine Wine Review

At the turn of the 20th century, Traben-Trarbach was one of the wealthiest towns in the Mosel. It was the beating heart of the trade in what were largely considered the greatest wines in the world: Mosel Rieslings. Much of the grand architecture of Traben-Trarbach was built during this period – the stunning Jugendstil (“Art Nouveau” in French) Hotel Bellevue is perhaps the most iconic building of the village.

This is an era that seems to inform much of the feel of Weiser-Künstler. The labels of this estate take their cue from the Jugendstil designers; the font looks as if it’s right out of a Gustav Klimt poster.

Most importantly, however, the dawn of the 20th century was the height of fame for the vineyards that Weiser-Künstler now farm. The Lintz map of the Mosel from 1897 (detail to the right), gives the three key vineyards of Weiser-Künstler (Ellergrub, Gaispfad and Steffensberg) grand cru status – click the map to the right to enlarge. It is an awesome wall of vineyards with many terraces. As a whole, this stretch is quainter than, say, the grand amphitheaters of Piesport or Trittenheim – but it is every bit their equal. The Wolfer Sonnenlay, which finds itself on a Wei-Kü label for the first time for vintage 2015, as a Kabinett, is ranked in the earlier 1868 map as “premier cru.”

If all of these vineyards fell into obscurity in the latter half of the 20th century, this is not entirely a bad thing. The fact is that these vines have not seen the “modernization” that many sites in the Mosel have, which means that these cliff-vineyards still have their jutting, ladder-like terraces. And on these terraces, they have a high density of very old, un-grafted vines.

This is a place, literally, where roots run very deep; you can taste that profundity in the wines.

Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler (pictured above) are as soulful as the vineyards they farm; this is a micro-estate with only around 4 hectares total. They very literally do everything by hand, working the sites both organically and biodynamically. They are in the vines daily and it’s immediately obvious that this is where they’re most comfortable – it’s obvious that they love their vineyards.

This intimacy comes through in the wines. In fact, if we were to point to one producer who carries a similar message of staggering complexity and simple charm, it would be Willi and Christoph Schaefer. Both estates are tiny; both estates seem to easily, naturally make wines that are ethereal, bubbling with purity and subtle nuance. Both estates produce haunting, magical little wines that are worth their weight in gold.

As at Willi Schaefer, Weiser-Künstler makes exceptional Prädikat wines, Kabinetts with true delicacy and lightness, Spätlesen with vigor and depth, Auslesen with flair, and true, old-school “stickies” with more of it all. However, Weiser-Künstler also makes incredible dry wines – dainty angels carved from mineral and slate that feel like porcelain in their weight and purity.

In other words, Weiser-Künstler does it all, and does it all beautifully. 

Google Earth Presentation Link

CLICK HERE

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