We will get to the finest and best known producer of Riesling from the village of Kiedrich in the German wine region of the Rheingau, but first, we must pay homage to the many vine-holders in this village whose holdings are truly microscopic in scale. This is because anybody who gets married in the historic 16th century town hall is given a vine from a village vineyard. Every two years they are invited to a local Rieslingfest to celebrate by drinking the wines produced collectively from their vines.

Aside from these wedding couples, the most famous producer of Kiedrich Riesling is undoubtedly Robert Weil. It’s not one of the Rheingau’s ancient estates – many go back a thousand years or more – as Robert Weil was a German living in Paris, forced to leave when the Prussians invaded France in 1870. He moved to Kiedrich and started his winery. War is cruel, but this one was good for Kiedrich Riesling.

The vineyards in this village have rocky, steep grades, and they are quite windswept. This means that grape ripening takes a long time, resulting in wines of excellent balance between acidities and alcohol. It is easier to produce fine dry Riesling here than in the Mosel. Robert Weil makes an excellent dry village wine called simply “Kiedrich Riesling Trocken”.

These terroirs can also make a delicious off-dry wine. The Kabinett is light and sprightly, with just enough sugar to give the wine an extra jolt of energy. The Spatlese, with a little more weight and complexity, comes from some of Robert Weil’s best sites, including his highest.

You may not make it to Kiedrich’s biennial Rieslingfest for wedding couples, but you do at least have Robert Weil to show you the wonders of this jewel of a village:

Robert Weil Riesling Trocken Rheingau 2022 $26.99

Robert Weil Riesling Tradition Rheingau 2022 $26.99

Robert Weil Estate Riesling Kabinett 2022 $40.99

Robert Weil Kiedricher Riesling Trocken 2022 $42.99

Robert Weil Estate Riesling Spatlese 2022 $51.99