In Ayl, we produce Saar wines in the 5th generation. Riesling is our passion at Weingut Peter Lauer. Our wine estate in Ayl has among the best steep slopes on the Saar. In addition to the famous Ayler Kupp, we cultivate two other important vineyards in the Mosel region: the Saar Feilser directly above the river and the steeply sloping vineyard Schonfels, a little farther upstream. Recently, we also replanted and recultivated the now forgotten Lambertskirch, just a stone’s throw from Schonfels.

Each cask corresponds to a distinctive style and a special point of origin. The must from specific vineyards is always vinified in the same container as the previous year. The cask is thereby unique. The wild yeast flora inside the cask “hibernates” in the fine fibers of the wood and ferments the same site again in a style comparable to its predecessors. According to grandfather’s custom, all wines are given this number – the house number in the old vaulted cellar.

If you look at our vineyards, you will quickly see that the vines are grown on steep slopes, and the roots go down some 20 meters into crevices of the bedrock. The soil is covered with blue-gray slate, which stores the heat, and therefore ensures an extremely favorable microclimate in the hot slate slopes.

 

It was over 100 years ago that Saar wine had a mythical reputation – it was twice as expensive as wine from Bordeaux and Burgundy. A good bottle cost 15 marks (Goldmarks) and more. That would be one or two months’ wages today. The oldest vineyard classification in the world from 1832 testifies to the importance of viticulture on the Saar at that time. This historical viticultural cadastre describes the world’s most exclusive and valuable vineyards of the 19th century. At this time, great-great-grandfather Matthias laid the foundation for a 180-year-old tradition.