Summary
The Weingüter Wegeler unite two family estates in two of Germany's most famous regions: the Rheingau, with its seat in Oestrich-Winkel, and the Mosel, with an estate in Bernkastel. Across a combined 53 hectares or so – roughly 41 in the Rheingau and about 12 on the Mosel – the vineyards are overwhelmingly Riesling. Wegeler is best known as a co-owner of the world-famous Bernkasteler Doctor site. The wines range from dry estate Riesling through Große Gewächse to nobly sweet Prädikat wines, complemented by Sekt.
History
Wegeler's history reaches back to the mid-19th century, when Julius Wegeler married into the well-known wine-merchant family Deinhard and took over the management. In 1882 the family acquired its first vineyards in the Rheingau, and in 1900 Julius Wegeler founded the estate in Bernkastel on the Mosel, securing holdings in the top Bernkasteler Doctor site. Julius Wegeler was also, from 1893, the first chairman of the German winegrowers' association; his Rheingau estate is among the founding members of the VDP. To this day the estates remain family-owned, with the administrative seat at Friedensplatz in Oestrich-Winkel.
Location & Terroir
The two estates stand for two different Riesling terroirs. In the Rheingau the vines grow on soils of weathered slate, quartzite and loess on south-facing slopes above the Rhine, which acts as a heat reservoir. On the Mosel, the devonian slate of the steep sites around Bernkastel, Wehlen and Graach dominates; it stores warmth and gives the wines their fine, saline minerality. The cool climate of both regions provides the lively acidity that makes Wegeler's Rieslings ageworthy and long-lived.
Style & Philosophy
Wegeler cultivates a classic, origin-focused style: precise, clear and built to age. The dry Große Gewächse show structure and minerality, while the fruity-sweet and nobly sweet Prädikat wines – Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese up to Beeren- and Trockenbeerenauslese – continue the great tradition of German Riesling. The programme is rounded out by Sekt from the estates' own grapes.
Notable Sites & Wines
Wegeler farms parcels in several top sites across both regions. Among the best known are:
- Bernkasteler Doctor (Mosel) – world-class site in which Wegeler is a co-owner
- Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Graacher Domprobst (Mosel)
- Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg (Rheingau)
- Oestricher Lenchen and Geisenheimer Rothenberg (Rheingau)
To these are added Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) wines from the Rheingau.
Awards
Wegeler's wines are regularly reviewed in the leading wine guides (Falstaff, Gault&Millau, Eichelmann) and have been among the well-known names of German Riesling for generations. The stake in the Bernkasteler Doctor site and the long VDP membership underline the estate's standing.