Weingut Knebel

Weingut Knebel is a small family business in Winningen, on the Terrassenmosel. The estate traces its roots to 1642. Its more recent history begins in 1989, when Reinhard and Beate Knebel founded their own winery; in the estate's own account, the Terrassenmosel was then almost unknown in the wine world. Matthias Knebel, son of Beate Knebel and the late Reinhard Knebel, studied at Geisenheim University and took on responsibility for the estate in 2008, immediately after his studies. The business trades as Weingut Reinhard u. Beate Knebel GbR and is represented by Beate Knebel and Matthias Knebel. Beate and Matthias Knebel own the estate, which has been a member of the VDP since 2017.

• Roots traced to 1642
• Current winery founded in 1989 by Reinhard and Beate Knebel
• Matthias Knebel studied at Geisenheim University and took on responsibility in 2008, immediately after his studies
• Trades as Weingut Reinhard u. Beate Knebel GbR, represented by Beate Knebel and Matthias Knebel
• VDP member since 2017

Beate Knebel and Matthias Knebel are both owners and cellar masters of the estate. In March 2016, Matthias Knebel was the operating manager (Betriebsleiter) of Weingut Reinhard und Beate Knebel.

• Beate Knebel: owner and cellar master
• Matthias Knebel: owner and cellar master; operating manager as of March 2016

Weingut Knebel farms 7.80 hectares, planted 98% to Riesling and 2% to Weißburgunder, on Devonian slate. Its sites include three VDP.GROSSE LAGE parcels of the Uhlen in Winningen: Uhlen Blaufüsser Lay, Uhlen Laubach and Uhlen Roth Lay. The estate also works the Röttgen, a VDP.GROSSE LAGE, which it bottles as a Großes Gewächs. The Uhlen faces south-southwest, at elevations of 80 to 220 metres above sea level and gradients of 100 to 150 percent, on grey slate with a high fossil lime content. The Röttgen faces south-southeast, at elevations of 80 to 170 metres and gradients of 100 to 170 percent, on blue and yellow-brown slate. The estate draws on a large stock of old vines, some of them ungrafted.

• 7.80 hectares: 98% Riesling, 2% Weißburgunder, on Devonian slate
• Uhlen Blaufüsser Lay, Uhlen Laubach and Uhlen Roth Lay: VDP.GROSSE LAGE
• Uhlen: south-southwest, 80 to 220 metres, 100 to 150 percent gradient, grey slate with a high fossil lime content
• Röttgen: VDP.GROSSE LAGE; south-southeast, 80 to 170 metres, 100 to 170 percent gradient, blue and yellow-brown slate
• A large stock of old vines, some of them ungrafted

The range is tiered by origin, from VDP.Gutswein to VDP.GROSSE LAGE. The VDP.Gutswein is a Riesling. The VDP.Ortsweine are Winningen Von den Terrassen, a dry Riesling from the terraced steep sites; Winningen Von den Terrassen R, made from selected lots that do not naturally finish fermentation, nearly dry with a subtle residual sweetness; and Winningen Alte Reben (Old Vines), from a selection of vines up to 70 years old, some of them ungrafted, from the estate's Premier Cru sites. At the VDP.GROSSE LAGE level the estate bottles a Röttgen and an Uhlen Großes Gewächs, a Röttgen Kabinett from cooler parcels within the Röttgen, a Röttgen Spätlese, a Röttgen Auslese, an Uhlen Auslese and a Röttgen Trockenbeerenauslese. A Riesling Sekt Brut Nature is made by traditional bottle fermentation without dosage.

• VDP.Gutswein: Riesling
• VDP.Ortsweine: Winningen Von den Terrassen, Winningen Von den Terrassen R, Winningen Alte Reben (Old Vines)
• VDP.GROSSE LAGE: Röttgen and Uhlen Großes Gewächs; Röttgen Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese and Trockenbeerenauslese; Uhlen Auslese
• Sekt: Riesling Sekt Brut Nature, traditional bottle fermentation, no dosage

The estate does not use cultivated yeast, fining agents, deacidification or Süssreserve, and allows time for slow fermentation and long maturation on the lees. In the estate's VDP interview, Matthias Knebel describes its aim in these words: 'First and foremost, we want to produce Rieslings with strong character that clearly express their origin. Elegance is the most important attribute to us.' On its own site, Knebel describes its style concept as 'deep terraced Mosel Rieslings with fine elegance and powerful expression.' All of Knebel's Rieslings are sourced from Mosel terraces, and Matthias Knebel prefers stainless steel for vinification and ageing. In 2012 he eliminated chemical herbicides from the terraces, and the estate has not used synthetic fertilizers for decades. Alongside the VDP eagle, the estate's labels carry the FairChoice seal for sustainable production.

• No cultivated yeast, fining agents, deacidification or Süssreserve
• Slow fermentation and long maturation on the lees
• Stainless steel preferred for vinification and ageing
• Chemical herbicides eliminated from the terraces in 2012; no synthetic fertilizers for decades
• Labels carry the FairChoice sustainability seal alongside the VDP eagle

In ratings current in March 2016, The Wine Advocate scored a 2011 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese from the Winninger Uhlen at 99+ points and a 2014 Riesling Beerenauslese from the Röttgen at 97+. For the 2017 vintage, The Wine Advocate gave 100 points to Knebel's 2017 Winninger Röttgen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, one of ten 100-point scores for 2017 Mosel Rieslings. In November 2025, the editors of the VINUM Weinguide Deutschland 2026 named Matthias Knebel (Winningen) Weingut des Jahres for the Mosel region.

The winery is at August-Horch-Straße 24 in Winningen, 10 km from Koblenz. As a small family business, Knebel does not keep fixed opening hours and asks visitors to make an appointment by contact form, email or phone before visiting.

• Address: August-Horch-Straße 24, 56333 Winningen
• Visits by appointment

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/pages/uber-uns, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/collections/alle-weine, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/products/kopie-von-uhlen-gg, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/products/kopie-von-roettgen-gg, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/products/kopie-von-alte-reben, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/products/kopie-von-alte-reben, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/products/von-den-terrassen, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/products/kopie-von-von-den-terrassen-r, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/products/roettgen-kabinett, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/products/sekt-brut, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/policies/legal-notice, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/en/pages/besuch-auf-dem-weingut, https://www.matthiasknebel.com/pages/unsere-geschichte. Secondary sources: VDP member profile (https://www.vdp.de/de/die-winzer/mosel/knebel and https://www.vdp.de/en/die-winzer/mosel/vdpweingut-knebel) and Moselwein e.V. news (https://www.weinland-mosel.de/de/aktuelles/show/2014er-moselweine-ernten-viele-parker-punkte, 9 March 2016; https://www.weinland-mosel.de/de/aktuelles/show/historisch-zehnmal-100-parker-punkte-fuer-moselweine, 3 July 2019; https://www.weinland-mosel.de/de/aktuelles/show/mosel-eleganz-energie-und-ein-goldenes-jahr-fuer-riesling, 12 November 2025), and German Wine USA (https://germanwineusa.com/whose-wine-is-it-anyway-meet-matthias-knebel/). Last verified 2026-10-20. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.