The Nik Weis – St. Urbans-Hof winery is one of our wineries that is not located on the Saar, but in the beautiful Mosel village of Leiwen. The founder of the winery, Nicolaus Weis, dedicated himself to the reconstruction and preservation of viticulture after the war, for which he was awarded the rare title "Ökonomierat" (Councilor of Economy). It was he who laid the cornerstone for the winery in 1947. But soon the premises in the village center became too small, and the business was moved to the outskirts of Leiwen, right in the middle of the vineyards. Instead of simply naming the new winery Nik Weis, it was given the name St. Urbans-Hof, after the patron saint of wine, Pope St. Urban I, the patron saint of winemakers. However, the Weis family owned parcels in Leiwener Laurentiuslay long before the establishment of their own winery, where today some of the winery's best wines grow. Directly adjacent to the winery, Nik Weis's grandfather also established a vine nursery, which today supplies some of the world's best Riesling vines. His son took over the winery in the 1960s and expanded for the first time to the Saar. He was convinced early on of the excellent quality of the Saar vineyards, and so he gradually acquired parcels in Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser, and Wiltinger Schlangengraben. In Ockfener Bockstein, one of the best vineyards on the Saar, the Nik Weis winery is now the largest owner. All the parcels are located in the best part below the Bockstein rock in the original area of Bockstein, as well as in the prime plot, the Zickelgarten, planted with old Riesling vines trained on single stakes. These wines present themselves as incredibly finely scented and balanced, with a fine mineral backbone and outstanding aging potential. This site is particularly close to winemaker Nik Weis's heart: "For me, Ockfener Bockstein is certainly the site with the most character in my portfolio." Not far from Bockstein lies Schodener Saarfeilser, a special south-facing site, directly on the old arm of the Saar. The prevailing warm climate and the special soil conditions (river gravel on top and slate underneath) result in very finely woven Rieslings with delicate creaminess and elegant, floral aromas. Not to forget Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a comparatively flat site with very good water supply. Here stand the oldest vines of the winery, some over 100 years old! These yield incredibly dense and juicy wines, often with an earthy-spicy aroma. In total, the winery now owns over 45 hectares of excellent vineyards, including three VDP.Grosse Lagen each on the Mosel and Saar. The predominant share of this is planted with Riesling (95%), the remaining 5% is divided between Spätburgunder, Weißburgunder and Grauburgunder, and some Rivaner. The current owner, Nik Weis, took over the winery in 1997 and now manages it in the third generation. Since his viticulture and enology studies at the famous Geisenheim University, he has intensively researched and propagated old Riesling clones. In his work, he was able to prove that the clones used and their diversity in the vineyard can have a significant influence on the later wine quality. With this knowledge, he set out on the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer to search for old, ungrafted vineyards. From vines with particularly positive characteristics, such as loose-berried, aromatic grapes, he took scions and propagated them in his own nursery. Over the years, he thus collected a unique variety of old Riesling clones from world-famous vineyards such as Scharzhofberger, Ockfener Bockstein, or Wehlener Sonnenuhr. This so-called "Selection Marsalle," a colorful mix of old Riesling genes from the best vineyards of Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, he now sells to many colleagues, and thus his vines provide the best planting material for future top wines. It is thanks to his persistent pursuit of quality that the winery is now counted by experts among the top German wineries. The winery has been a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) since 2000 and is rated with top scores by relevant trade publications: 4 grapes Gault-Millau, 4 stars Eichelmann, 5 Feinschmecker points, and numerous special awards such as the "best sweet and noble sweet collection of the year" in Eichelmann (2017) or the title "Riesling Champion 2018," to name just a few.

If you take a close look at the labels of Nik Weis's wines, you'll find a Latin inscription in the family crest: "Con Natura – Non Invicem" - with nature, not against it. Based on this conviction, all measures in the vineyard are aligned with the family motto. A diverse vine genetic makeup is prioritized. This means that Nik Weis no longer clears any single vineyard; instead, he prefers to replace individual damaged vines, thus ensuring a varied age mix in his vineyards. Old single-pole systems with old vines and high planting density are thus preserved and traditionally cultivated by hand. The classic "Mosel hearts," where the two cane vines are tied together in a heart shape on the single pole, are, in Nik Weis's view, perhaps the best cultivation method for our region and a traditional obligation at the same time. The vines are exclusively organically fertilized and cultivated close to nature. However, organic certification is not sought, as the option of using fungicides in years with high disease pressure is to be kept open. Instead, the winery bears the FAIR`N GREEN label. This organization not only focuses on sustainable, environmentally friendly cultivation but also incorporates other factors such as fair treatment of its employees, in keeping with a holistic approach. Furthermore, the Nik Weis winery implements other quality-enhancing measures, such as defoliation of the grape zone and grape splitting, to reduce yields and ensure optimal aroma development in the grapes. The highly aromatic grapes are selectively hand-picked as late in the year as possible, often not until mid-October, and carried out of the vineyard in traditional "Hotten" (carrying frames) on the back to the vats. From there, they are brought to the winery and, depending on the wine, mashed for only a short time or for several hours to better facilitate the extraction of aromas from the skins. After the grapes have been gently pressed, the must is allowed to settle overnight so that the turbid particles settle at the bottom. The clear grape juice is then drawn off into stainless steel tanks and fermented there under temperature control with natural yeasts. A portion of the wines matures on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks after fermentation until shortly before bottling. However, the top growths are allowed to continue maturing in the classic 1,000-liter oak barrels, known as Mosel Fuder barrels, before they are bottled.

The wines of Nik Weis – St. Urbans-Hof are particularly known for their intense aromatics with fully ripe fruits, floral notes, silky texture, and excellent balance. Six years ago, the labels were redesigned to make it easier for you, dear customers, to get an overview of the wines and thus provide clear orientation. The dry-tasting wines, which according to the winery's philosophy include legally dry and off-dry wines, bear a white label. Wines with a fine residual sweetness, as well as nobly sweet wines, on the other hand, bear a black label.