wine knowledge
“The dry Rieslings as well as the Pinot family wines age for a minimum of 10 months in the barrel”
Caroline Diel
Producing white wine
To produce its high-quality white wines, Schlossgut Diel starts by hand-selecting the grapes for harvest, followed by a delicate crush. This means that the skins are gently opened to allow a portion of the juice to flow and for the compounds in the grape skins to leech out more effectively, which benefits the complexity of the wines. This is followed by a brief maceration to release even more aromatic compounds from the skins. Once finished, the mash (the mix of skins, juice, pulp, stems and seeds) is then gently pressed. The fresh must is pumped into a tank where the sediment settles to the bottom overnight, a step known as pre-fining. On the next day, the clear juice is separated from the sediment (racking) and conveyed to the fermentation vessel—either a stainless steel tank or a wooden barrel.
• Wine fermented in stainless steel tends to be linear, with a notable fruit component and tremendous freshness—perfect for estate-level wines and our fruity Rieslings. To preserve the freshness and raciness, fruity Schlossgut Diel Rieslings are bottled somewhat earlier, in spring.
• The dry single-site Rieslings are matured in classic Stück barrels from domestic oak, lending them a velvety and creamy mouthfeel, with a finishing spice.
• The Reserve Pinots are matured in Stück barrels and used barriques (225l). This lends them a notably creamy and significantly smoky character.
• Both our dry Rieslings and Pinots mature for at least 10 months in the barrel on the lees, until bottling immediately before the next harvest.