Karl Dielhenn, wine estate owner – Windesheimer Fels Riesling Spätlese, original bottling 1893

Dielhenn Winery – Windesheimer Fels Riesling Spätlese 1893: A liquid monument from the 19th century

The Windesheimer Fels Riesling Spätlese 1893 from the Dielhenn estate is one of the most extraordinary rarities that German viticulture has ever produced – a wine that was produced over 130 years ago in one of the most renowned vineyards on the Nahe and which, to this day, bears witness to the artistry and foresight of a family of winegrowers deeply rooted in the history of Windesheim.

The Dielhenn family shaped the wine-growing life of Windesheim for generations. The name remains part of the townscape to this day: Bürgermeister-Dielhenn-Straße honours a member of the family who held the office of mayor. An entry under the name F. Dielhenn at Hauptstraße 28 in 55452 Windesheim documents the long tradition of the winery, which for decades produced wines from the surrounding prime vineyards. A winery named Horst Dielhenn is also listed in Windesheim, proving that the family remained connected to viticulture across generations. The Dielhenns were therefore not only winegrowers but also prominent figures in local community life – a combination of wine culture and civic engagement that was typical of the wine-growing villages along the Nahe.

At the heart of this wine lies the ‘Windesheimer Fels’vineyard , one of the most distinctive vineyard sites on the Nahe. The name derives from the exposed sandstone cliffs that lend the site its unmistakable character and which were home to the first vines as long as 2,000 years ago. The south-facing slope of the Römerberg consists mainly of steep vineyards – around 90 per cent are classified as steep slopes – and is further protected from cool winds by a rock face. The red sandstone soils are extremely shallow and hard; the poor subsoil forces the vines to search deep into the earth for water and nutrients, which gives the wines their distinct mineral character and lively acidity. The site is considered one of the warmest spots in Germany – a microclimate where steep vineyards, dry slopes and orchards alternate.

The 1893 vintage came at a time when German viticulture on the Nahe was experiencing its first heyday. The phylloxera crisis, which had ravaged European vineyards from the 1870s onwards, had not yet spread throughout the region, and the winegrowers were working with traditional methods that had been handed down through the generations. As far as historical records indicate, the 1893 harvest was characterised by favourable conditions, and the wines of this era were prized for their richness and longevity. The fact that a Spätlese from this year has survived to this day borders on a miracle: it testifies to the care with which the Dielhenn family pressed and stored their wines, and to the longevity that great Rieslings from the Nahe can develop over decades.

The bottling of this wine is remarkable in that it is documented under the name Ferdinand Pieroth – a wine merchant and producer who marketed the region’s wines and ensured their distribution. The relationship between the Dielhenn family as vineyard owners and the merchant Pieroth as the bottler was typical for the time: many winegrowers sold their wines to négociants, who bottled and distributed them under their own names. The wine therefore bears the name Pieroth on the label, whilst the wine’s origin – the Dielhenn family’s vineyards in Windesheimer Fels – is explicitly stated in the product description.

After more than 130 years of ageing in the bottle, this wine is in a condition reserved for only the very rarest of wines. The colour is likely to be a deep, luminous amber to coppery gold – the typical patina of a Riesling that has matured for over a century. The nose unfolds the classic tertiary aromas of a great, old Spätlese: notes of dried apricots, honey, caramel, candied citrus fruits and the petrol note characteristic of mature Rieslings, underpinned by the mineral character of the sandstone soil. On the palate, there is a harmonious balance of sweetness and acidity which, despite its age, retains a remarkable liveliness and length. Wines from the Windesheimer Fels vineyard are still prized today for their citrus and exotic fruit aromas, as well as their ageing potential – qualities that are perfectly evident in this 19th-century bottle.

For lovers of great German wines, this Dielhenn Windesheimer Fels Riesling Spätlese 1893is an extraordinary experience – a liquid monument to a bygone era of winegrowing on the Nahe, bearing the hallmark of a winemaking family steeped in tradition and telling a remarkable story through over a century of ageing in the bottle.