Summary
Weingut Kerpen is a classic family estate of the Middle Mosel, based in Bernkastel-Wehlen right on the riverbank. The Kerpen family has been growing wine since 1803 – now in its ninth generation. Around 9.5 hectares are planted exclusively with Riesling, 100 per cent of it on steep slopes of blue Devonian slate, including such resonant names as Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Graacher Domprobst, Graacher Himmelreich and Bernkasteler Bratenhöfchen. The estate covers the whole spectrum of Mosel Riesling – from dry and off-dry to the fruity-sweet Prädikat wines – and is a member of the Ring Mosel, the former Bernkasteler Ring. Since 2024 Matthias Kerpen and Vivien Gohr have carried the business forward.
History
The Kerpen family's roots in winegrowing go back to 1803; the estate itself counts today's team as the ninth generation. As in many Mosel families, the holdings were divided several times over the years through inheritance – which is why a second, independent Weingut Kerpen (Heribert Kerpen) still exists in Wehlen and should not be confused with this estate.
The real fresh start of today's winery came after the Second World War: from 1963 Hanne Kerpen built the business up from around 2.5 hectares. In 1988 Martin Kerpen, a qualified viticultural engineer, and his wife Celia took charge. The most important growth steps fall into their era: in 1997 the family moved with their three children into the well-known estate house on the Uferallee in Wehlen, in 2012 the seasonal Riesling café was added, and the vineyard area grew to today's roughly 9.5 hectares.
In January 2024, after some 35 years, Martin and Celia Kerpen handed over to their son Matthias Kerpen, who runs the estate together with his partner Vivien Gohr. The new generation's motto: tradition and modernity need not always agree, but they work hand in hand.
Location & Terroir
Wehlen lies on the right bank of the Mosel between Bernkastel-Kues and Zeltingen, in the very heart of the Middle Mosel. Opposite the village rises the world-famous Wehlener Sonnenuhr, one of the steepest and most prestigious Riesling sites in Germany. The soil here is blue Devonian slate, which stores heat during the day and releases it to the vines at night. Combined with the south-west exposure and the reflection of the Mosel, this creates ideal ripening conditions for Riesling that keeps its fine, racy acidity despite full physiological ripeness.
All of Weingut Kerpen's vineyards are steep slopes – manual work here is not a choice but a necessity. Besides the Wehlener Sonnenuhr the family farms parcels in the Graacher Domprobst and Graacher Himmelreich, whose wines are often considered slightly more powerful and spicy, and in the Bernkasteler Bratenhöfchen immediately beside Bernkastel's old town. These four sites all lie within a few kilometres of each other and together form a compact but high-class holding.
Style & Philosophy
Kerpen is a pure Riesling house. The estate's philosophy rests on three pillars: appropriate pruning and low yields, high grape quality from old steep-slope vines, and the exceptional ageing ability of the wines. Cellar work is traditional and gentle, aiming to bring the character of each site into the bottle.
The range deliberately covers every taste: dry and off-dry (feinherb) Rieslings as modern food companions, plus the classic fruity-sweet Prädikat wines – Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese – for which the Middle Mosel is world famous. In suitable vintages nobly sweet specialities such as Beerenauslese are made as well. Typical of the Kerpen style are a delicate texture, ripe stone-fruit aromas (apricot, peach) and the clear slate imprint that gives the wines a long life. Under the new generation, sustainability in the vineyard is gaining in importance too.
Notable Sites & Wines
- Wehlener Sonnenuhr – the estate's core site; Rieslings of great finesse, especially prized as Kabinett and Spätlese, with notes of ripe apricot and a fine creaminess
- Graacher Domprobst – slightly cooler and deeper; wines with spice, density and pronounced minerality
- Graacher Himmelreich – more approachable, fruit-driven Riesling with juicy acidity
- Bernkasteler Bratenhöfchen – the site right by the town of Bernkastel; elegant, slender Rieslings
Alongside the single-vineyard wines, the estate offers dry and off-dry Rieslings for everyday drinking as well as the Prädikat levels up to Auslese. Anyone wishing to taste the wines on site will find the wine shop on the Uferallee open all year round; from spring to autumn the Riesling café with its view of the Mosel opens as well.
Awards
Weingut Kerpen has been solidly rated by the major German wine guides for years: Eichelmann most recently listed the estate with four stars, Gault&Millau and Der Feinschmecker with two each, wein.plus with three stars. Individual wines – such as Spätlesen and Auslesen from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr – have achieved ratings of up to 96 points at tastings such as bonvinitas. Membership of the Ring Mosel e.V. (formerly Bernkasteler Ring), the association of Riesling estates founded in 1899 with its traditional wine auctions, underlines the house's standing as a Riesling specialist of the Middle Mosel.
