PAUL WELTNER

VDP.ESTATE
PAUL WELTNER

“THE EXPANSION OF THE CELLAR SHOULDN’T OBSCURE THE CORE OF THE BUILDING’S ORIGINS.”

PAUL WELTNER SPEAKS ABOUT HIS WINES AND WINE ESTATE IN RÖDELSEE

Paul Weltner

Wiesenbronner Straße 17
97348 Rödelsee

Phone+49 (0)9323/3646
Fax+49 (0)9323/3846
eMailinfo@weingut-weltner.de
Office Hours
Mo-Fr 9.00-12.00, 13.30-18.00; Sa 10.00-15.00
Owner

Paul Weltner

Cellarmaster

Paul Weltner

Member Since

1993

Wine Area

9,30 acres

Grape Variety

60% Sylvaner sowie u.a. Riesling, Weiss- & Spätburgunder, Müller-Thurgau, Scheurebe, Sauvignon Blanc

Geology

Gipskeuper mit Schilfsandstein und Dolomit, toniger Mergel

Growing Areas

Franken

Memberships
  • Wine in Moderation

VDP: What is so special about your winery?

Paul Weltner: We are the oldest winery in Rödelsee, now in its 4th generation. And we manage to create an inimitable classic from a special climatic niche of the Schwanberg in the VDP.ERSTE LAGE® KÜCHENMEISTER. Savoury-spicy, expressive and elegant wines grow here in a south-westerly aspect on the Gipskeuper formation with estheria and myophoria fossil layers. Particularly Sylvaner, which occupies 60 % of our estate’s vineyard area, produces inimitable, fine wines with tremendous ageing potential.

VDP: What is your winery philosophy?

Paul Weltner: Environmentally friendly cultivation with attentive handcraft and sensitivity for the vines and healthy, vital soils. For us, this is the foundation for lively, unique wines.

VDP: To what wine style do you aspire?

Paul Weltner: Fine wines that distinctly reflect their origins – finesse and intrinsic concentration are united in the wines of the Schwanberg. Of course, our favourite variety is Sylvaner.

VDP: Which of your wines would you recommend to someone who does not yet know your winery – as an introduction, so to speak?

Paul Weltner: The Silvaner VDP.GUTSWEIN is a great demonstration of how much fun a fully fermented wine can be. A wine that excels with extract and shows how much is already found in a Sylvaner of this category.

VDP: Of which wine are you particularly proud?

Paul Weltner: KITCHENMEISTER Sylvaner GG is such an icon wine that you can only inherit in such a family. This wonderful multi-layered, ever-changing, vibrant wine fascinates again each year with new fine facets.

“THE VDP.GUTSWEIN SYLVANER IS LIKE A RAMONES SONG – IT GRABS YOU, SPINS YOU AROUND FOR 1.20 MINUTES, AND THEN YOU JUST LOOK FOR THE REPEAT BUTTON.”

VDP: Why did you become a vintner?

Paul Weltner: After a gradual introduction to the profession, everything outside Franken appeared more interesting. I discovered juicy and fruity wines and wanted to break with the local style at a young age. And then, from a distance I began to appreciate the unique attributes of the Franken style!

VDP: Do you have role models or mentors?

Paul Weltner: People who are open to new things and interested in life have always been inspiring. I’m quickly bored with thinking inside the box.

VDP: What are your next goals?

Paul Weltner: To retire. :)

HOHELEITE
Sylvaner GG
VDP.GROSSE LAGE®

VDP: How do you combine tradition and innovation?

Paul Weltner: I find traditions exciting – to see how our fathers and grandfathers, who had a completely different view of nature, dealt with things. Still, you have to take a close look at these traditions and translate them into the new times. Just like we did with the Bocksbeutel. With a narrow label we don’t accentuate the curves, but instead stretch them out.

VDP: Why should people visit your winery?

Paul Weltner: From Schwanberg, the highest elevation in the Franken wine region, you have a marvellous, expansive view. You can experience sensational sunsets in the southwest orientation of the Küchenmeister vineyard – preferably with a glass of Küchenmeister Sylvaner at hand.

VDP: If your wine were music, what would it be?

Paul Weltner: The VDP.GUTSWEIN Sylvaner is like a Ramones song - it grabs you, spins you around for 1.20 minutes, and then you just look for the repeat button! The single-vineyard Sylvaner is then more like a jazz piece - finer, quieter, more playful. He improvises in the middle section and drifts down in quiet tones - but at the end he always comes back to the point.

©2022

Photos: Peter Bender