WongAmat by Jan Raumland – WongSiri Kriegsheimer Rosengarten Riesling Dry 2024

WongSiri Kriegsheimer Rosengarten Riesling Dry 2024 by Jan Raumland

1. Winemaker and background

Jan Wongse Raumland is a German winemaker with Thai roots, whose career has taken him to renowned wineries such as Emrich-Schönleber and Klaus Peter Keller, as well as a formative internship in South Africa. His project WongAmat – a tribute to his Thai family, the Wongse-Amatyakul family – officially launched with the 2021 vintage and is initially focusing on fine Pinot Noirs from the Dalsheimer Bürgel and Kriegsheimer Rosengarten vineyards.

With the 2022 vintage, Jan introducedthe WongSiri label – named after his mother’s family – for all white wines. The WongSiri Kriegsheimer Rosengarten Riesling Dry 2024 reviewed here is only the fourth WongAmat vintage in total and, at the same time , a one-off project: the vines were grubbed up immediately after the harvest.

2. Site and terroir

The Kriegsheimer Rosengarten in Rheinhessen is a south-facing site with distinctive soil conditions: red bedrock, plenty of gravel and warm soils. It is a former alluvial plain of the River Pfrimm, criss-crossed by gravel and iron deposits.

The vineyard is the warmer counterpart to the cooler, limestone-dominated Dalsheimer Bürgel. Whilst the Bürgel emphasises freshness and elegance, the warmer gravel soils of the Rosengarten lend the wines more power, structure and intensity. For Jan Raumland, this means: “Here, Riesling gains not only acidity and citrus notes, but also substance, grip and intensity”.

3. Winemaking

The production of the 2024 Riesling follows Jan’s precise, artisanal philosophy:

Jan Raumland works 100% organically, from the grape to the cork. His approach is characterised by a keen instinct for vines, grapes and timing – he intervenes where necessary and lets things take their course where appropriate.

4. Tasting notes and character

The wine is consistently describedas full of character, distinctive and far from unremarkable:

• Aroma: Yellow fruit, herbal spice, a slightly smoky depth

• Structure: Ripe, salty and well-structured with a subtle hint of tannin

• Texture: “A Riesling with tension, but also substance. Precise, dry, distinctive”

• Overall impression: Not a smooth, polished terrace Riesling, but a serious, artisanal single-vineyard wine with texture and length

The slightly smoky note is a characteristic feature of the Rosengarten terroir and makes this wine particularly exciting.

5. Reviews and classification

The trade press is impressed:

• The Art of Riesling (Max Kaindl): “Jan Raumland’s 2024 vintage confirms more than ever that he has one of the most compelling, independent and stylistically distinct signatures in German winemaking today.” The Rosengarten Riesling is described as a one-off project, where one senses “that Jan did not make this wine simply to ‘try his hand at Riesling’ for a change”.

• Concept Riesling: The Rosengarten is “not a vineyard for quiet background music”. With this wine, Jan Raumland demonstrates “that WongAmat isn’t just about Pinot”.

• Meininger’s Sommelier: The white wines from the Rosengarten are “at least as impressive” as the reds.

6. Production volume and availability

Production is extremely limited. 

7. Conclusion

The WongSiri Kriegsheimer Rosengarten Riesling Dry 2024 is far more than a ‘side project’. It is the result of a winemaker who has developedhis own winemaking style – without role models, without imitation. The combination of smoky terroir, precise craftsmanship and bold decision-making (clearing the vines after the harvest) makes this wine a distinctive one-off in the German Riesling portfolio. Anyone who has the opportunity to taste this wine will experience a Riesling that has “tension, but also substance” – and at a level that impressively underpinsJan’s reputation as one of Germany’s most exciting young winemakers.