Weingut Max Ferd. Richter - the Wehlener Sonnenuhr Vineyard

The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Vineyard „Mach es wie die Sonnenuhr - zeig' die heitren Stunden nur!" (Do as the sundial does - only show your sunny side!)
This proverb is about how the sundial is not just a timekeeper invented by the Babylonians, but a symbol of positive optimism and of the benfits of the sunshine.
When, as in Wehlen, a sundial was installed on the most prominent rock in the steep vineyards, it gave its name to the surrounding vineyard. The Sonnenuhr vineyard is 65 hectares in all, facing south south-west directly opposite the village of Wehlen. It lies in the middle of the long curving steep slate slope by the Mosel, stretching five kilometres from Bernkastel to Zeltingen. Here lie the great vineyards - Bernkasteler Doctor and Badstube - Graacher Himmelreich and Dompropst - Wehlener Sonnenuhr - Zeltinger Sonnenuhr and Schlossberg. The prescious wines from the Sonnenuhr vineyard created solid wealth ,and in the early days of this century the citizens of Wehlen were able to build a suspension bridge, which is today a historical monument and, like the sundial, a local landmark. The only other villages which could afford to build a bridge in those days were Bernkastel-Kues and Traben-Trarbach. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr was a comparatively recent acquisition in the 300 years of Weingut Max Ferd.Richter's history. In 1972 the first parcel of vines was bought. It was next to the sundial in the heart of the vineyard. This was followed by the purchase of other parcels over the next few years. In general, the wines from Wehlener Sonnenuhr are wonderfully elegant with delicate aromas. They are also particularly long-lived and 1921, 1937, 1949 and 1959 are legendary vintages. Max Ferd.Richter's 1997 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese came first a tasting held in February 1999 in Wehlen attended by the winemakers of the village and other wine lovers.

The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Vineyard