A wise owl adorns the antique-blue Schlegel bottles. Since 2005
Weingut Weiser-Künstler has shown what happens when newcomers with no family tradition carefully take on ancient vines. Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler farm their four hectares on the Middle Mosel entirely by themselves. What makes them special: over 80% ungrafted vines, many of them more than 100 years old, a precious treasure on the steep slopes around Enkirch and Traben-Trarbach.
When newcomers become guardians of old vines
While other Mosel winegrowers inherit generations of family knowledge from the cradle, Konstantin and Alexandra had to earn everything for themselves. They started in 2005 with a modest 1.8 hectares and grew carefully to four. The decisive point: they took over
ungrafted Riesling vines, some of them over 100 years old, which were never grafted onto American rootstocks. These rarities make up 80% of their vineyard area, a share that hardly any other estate on the Mosel can match.
Konstantin learnt his craft at renowned estates such as Immich-Batterieberg on the Mosel, Leitz in the Rheingau and Minges in the Pfalz. Alexandra brought her Franconian roots. Together they developed a style that combines
classic Mosel elegance with uncompromisingly organic farming.
Steep slopes, blue slate, pure handwork
In the sites
Enkircher Ellergrub, Enkircher Steffensberg, Trabener Gaispfad, Trarbacher Schlossberg and Wolfer Sonnenlay,
Riesling thrives on blue and grey Devonian slate. The steep slopes reach gradients of up to 70%, and every task here is done entirely by hand. Alexandra and Konstantin really do everything themselves, from the morning check in the vineyard through the harvest to labelling the bottles.
This philosophy of self-reliance links them with colleagues such as
Clemens Busch, who likewise proves how powerful organically farmed Mosel vines can be. Weiser-Künstler are members of the "Klitzekleiner Ring", an association devoted to
preserving old Riesling vines.
Spontaneous fermentation and patient maturation
In the cellar Weiser-Künstler rely consistently on
spontaneous fermentation and long lees ageing. The dry Rieslings mature in traditional Mosel Fuder casks, while the wines with residual sugar ferment in stainless-steel tanks. This gentle vinification brings out the terroir of the different slate soils to best effect.
The
Trabener Gaispfad Riesling Kabinett trocken 2024 exemplifies the mineral clarity of the Devonian slate soils, while the
Riesling Ellergrub "Grosse Eule" 2022 reflects the concentration of the ungrafted vines.
Classic, with a character of its own
The range extends from
delicately dry Kabinett wines to nobly sweet Auslesen. Every wine unmistakably bears the couple's signature: precise, elegant, with the characteristic Mosel minerality, yet never slick or interchangeable. The
Riesling Steffensberg 2023, for instance, combines youthful freshness with the depth of old vines.
The wise owl on the labels watches over wines that prove one thing: sometimes you need no centuries-old family tradition, just the courage to tend old vines with modern knowledge and infinite care.
