Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr GG 2023

Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenhur Grosses Gewachs is a Riesling white wine made by Weingut Kerpen from his historic Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard on the Moselle, Germany.

Although the typical Moselle wines are those that are classified as Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, from his best vineyard Martin Kerpen makes a Grand Cru wine, which is what Grosses Gewachs means in German. It is a steep vineyard, with an abundance of Devonian blue slates, and a perfect orientation that is what the sundial (sonnenuhr) allows in the vineyard.

We are facing a dry wine, from one of the best vineyards on the Moselle, very versatile and which is a fantastic accompaniment to the most varied gastronomy.

Weingut Kerpen could not be more Moselle. The family home, in whose basements and annexes the winery is located, is on the north bank of the Mosel River as it passes through Wehlen. In fact, just 100 meters across this calm navigable river is one of Germany's most famous settlements, Wehlener Sonnenuhr (which literally means “Wehlen's sundial”). And this curiosity is not trivial, since the history of the Kerpen is inextricably linked to that of their plots in this historic estate, from which their best wines come. As you probably imagine, in Germany the best vineyards on the Moselle are those with a south orientation, which allow the best insolation and therefore the grapes to reach maturity regularly. For this reason, in the best plots, those that are totally south facing, it is common to find a sundial that, as everyone knows, is not very useful if we face north.