Weingut Knewitz Riesling Steinacker Großes Gewächs Bio 2024 white

Weingut Knewitz Riesling Steinacker Großes Gewächs Bio 2020 is a dry, certified-organic Riesling from one of Rheinhessen’s most exciting up-and-coming estates. Sourced from the Nieder-Hilbersheimer Steinacker vineyard, this Grosses Gewächs (GG) showcases the precision and depth that have made Knewitz a name to watch in German fine wine. It combines inviting fruit with a distinctly stony, mineral backbone, offering both immediate charm and serious complexity.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the Steinacker GG 2020 shows a pale lemon colour with green reflections, signalling freshness and youth. The nose is expressive yet refined: classic Riesling apple notes are layered with delicate nuances of white peach and apricot, underpinned by a subtle smokiness and a fine, ferrous-spicy edge derived from the iron-rich soils. On the palate, the wine is initially generous and inviting, with a rounded, almost creamy texture and a gentle, fine-grained ‘Schmelz’. The ripe stone-fruit and citrus flavours are carried by a tightly focused, vibrant acidity that gives the wine plenty of grip and drive. A distinctly chalky, purist minerality emerges mid-palate, bringing tension and energy, while smoky and spicy notes add further complexity. The finish is long, layered and precise, with a light, elegant touch of piquant sharpness that keeps everything beautifully in balance. Built with structure and acidity, this Grosses Gewächs has excellent aging potential, evolving over 8–12 years or more to reveal greater depth, savoury nuances and additional textural complexity.

Production
The Steinacker vineyard lies just south of Appenheim in Rheinhessen, where cool conditions and limestone-rich soils create ideal conditions for fine, focused Riesling. Here, classic limestone is interspersed with veins of iron ore, lending the wines their characteristic spice and mineral tension. Weingut Knewitz farms this site organically, with meticulous work in the vineyard to limit yields and ensure optimal ripeness and healthy fruit. The grapes are selectively hand-harvested, preserving only the best bunches for this Grosses Gewächs. In the cellar, Tobias and Björn Knewitz favour a minimalist approach: gentle pressing, slow and controlled fermentation, and extended maturation on the lees—often in stainless steel and/or large neutral vessels—to highlight the purity of the limestone terroir without overt oak influence. The result is a precise, terroir-driven Riesling that speaks clearly of its origin.

Food & Serving
This Steinacker GG is a versatile partner at the table, especially with refined, flavourful dishes. It pairs beautifully with seafood such as scallops, grilled prawns, or lightly seared tuna, as well as with sushi and sashimi, where its acidity and mineral grip complement delicate textures. It also shines with poultry in light cream or citrus sauces, veal, or pork tenderloin, and is a superb match for dishes featuring fennel, asparagus, or root vegetables. For cheese, try it with young goat’s cheese or aged mountain cheeses. Serve well chilled but not icy, around 9–11°C, to allow the aromatics and texture to fully unfold. A short decant of 30–45 minutes, especially in its youth, can help the wine open up and reveal its full spectrum of fruit and mineral notes.

Producer
Weingut Knewitz is a dynamic, family-run estate based in Appenheim, in the northern part of Rheinhessen. Over the past decade, brothers Tobias and Björn Knewitz have transformed the winery into one of the region’s leading modern producers, with a clear focus on dry, terroir-driven Rieslings from top limestone sites such as Hundertgulden and Steinacker. Their work has been widely recognised by the German wine press and international critics alike, who praise the precision, tension and elegance of the wines. By combining meticulous organic vineyard work with a restrained, minimalist approach in the cellar, Weingut Knewitz has helped redefine Rheinhessen’s reputation, firmly positioning the estate among the new generation of German producers at the forefront of quality and innovation.