“I don’t want to push anyone out,” says Weis, who has earned international acclaim for his work at the St. Urbans-Hof estate in the Mosel. “But I would be happy to see an extension of the selection to include branded wines by estate producers who know that they have something to lose.”
Weis is talking about wines like Dr. L Riesling by Ernie Loosen and Bird Label Riesling from Lingerfelder Estate, as well as his own Urban Riesling, which just made its debut in Ontario.
“I think it is a good niche to jump into with a good ambassador for the Mosel,” Weis explained. “There are others that are doing a great job with that kind of wine. I think there should be more.”
The Urban label is a separate entity from the wines produced at the St. Urbans-Hof estate. It was first made in 2006 when Weis saw demand for his affordable estate Riesling outstrip the potential of his 35 hectares of vineyards.
In most years, 13,000 cases of St. Urbans-Hof Riesling sells briskly in markets around the world, including specialty shops in Canada and the United States.
“I wanted to grow, but I didn’t want to grow at any price. I didn’t want St. Urbans-Hof to become a commercial winery,” he said. “I tried to find a way to make more good wine, Mosel wine, available to people for a price that is affordable.”
Weis saw an opportunity to partner with grape growers and a production facility 10 minutes down the Mosel River from his winery in Mehring. The Riesling is produced to his specifications and bottled as a Nik Weis Selection.
His name, he said, is his guarantee of quality.
“It’s an authentic wine,” Weis said. “It’s not a Riesling that could be grown anywhere else in the world. It’s classic Mosel.
“Of course, the best selling wines in the world are branded wines from corporate wineries that always guarantee a certain taste. I have no problem with that,” he continued. “But I think we should have more wines that are available in a certain quantity that have a lot of character. I don’t think quantity and authenticity is a contradiction.”
The 2008 Urban Riesling is a new listing in Ontario and is widely available in Alberta and British Columbia. The 2009 vintage will soon be available.
Christopher Waters is the editor of Sun Media's Vines Magazine. He can be reached at chris@vinesmag.com.
Wine of the Week
****
Nik Weis Selection 2008 Urban Riesling
Mosel, Germany
BC AB $15 | ON $14.95 (184051)
This exciting model of Mosel Riesling offers a terrific herbal and floral fragrance, wonderfully balanced fruit intensity and a refreshingly dry finish. It’s an ideal sipping wine that would work with a wide assortment of dishes. Great value.
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