Weingut Stein

The Stein family traces its connection to winemaking in the Mosel back to the 16th century, though Weingut Stein as a full-time commercial enterprise began in 1948, when Heinrich and Erna Stein committed their lives to the steep, terraced vineyards of St. Aldegund. Theirs was a founding act of conviction: the Lower Mosel was then, as it often remains today, an overlooked stretch of the river compared to the celebrated Middle Mosel appellations farther upstream. Heinrich and Erna were the first members of their line to make viticulture their primary livelihood, establishing an ethos of ecological sustainability and respect for old vines that has defined the estate ever since. A family wine tradition reaching back centuries gave the enterprise deep roots, and the decision to preserve ungrafted vines during the phylloxera-era replanting waves of the 20th century proved foundational to the estate's modern identity.

• Founded 1948 by Heinrich and Erna Stein in St. Aldegund, Lower Mosel; first generation to work the estate full-time
• Family wine history in the Mosel traces to the 16th century
• Ecological and sustainable viticulture practiced from the estate's founding
• Ungrafted vines preserved through the phylloxera replanting era; decision now central to the estate's character

Ulrich 'Ulli' Stein and his brother Peter took over the estate from their father Heinrich in 1982, bringing new energy and intellectual firepower to St. Aldegund. Ulli's credentials are unusual for a small-scale Mosel producer: he holds a PhD in biology alongside an oenology degree from the prestigious University of Geisenheim, giving him a scientific framework for understanding vine physiology, terroir, and fermentation that informs every decision in vineyard and cellar. Beyond the technical, Ulli has proved himself an unusually vocal public figure, publishing a 2010 manifesto calling for the rescue of steep Mosel slate vineyards and fair wages for the farmers who work them. He waged an eight-year EU battle to restore Strohwein production, eventually succeeding by marketing the wine under the Striehween brand name. He also played an instrumental role in lifting the 1933 to 1986 ban on red wine production in the Mosel. As of June 2025, Ulli is in his 70s and has expressed confidence that his best wines are still ahead of him. He lives with his wife at Haus Waldfrieden, a 19th-century inn perched above the Hölle vineyard that doubles as a cultural and artistic salon for friends and visitors.

• Ulli holds a PhD in biology and an oenology degree from the University of Geisenheim; brother Peter co-owns the estate
• Won an eight-year EU legal battle to revive Strohwein production, marketed under the Striehween brand name
• Helped lift the 1933 to 1986 Mosel ban on red wine production; grows Spätburgunder, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Chardonnay
• Refuses to submit samples to Gault Millau; maintains an independent stance toward mainstream German wine criticism

Weingut Stein farms 6.5 hectares across a collection of terraced Lower Mosel sites defined by blue and gray slate soils and punishing gradients. The home vineyard, Palmberg-Terrassen in St. Aldegund, is considered a grand cru-level site, with ungrafted vines aged 90 to over 100 years growing on narrow terraces of blue and gray slate. Nearby, the 0.25-hectare Himmelreich parcel, acquired in 2009, features deceptively steep terrain with tiny terraces at its upper reaches. The most historically significant holding is the Alfer Hölle 1900, a 0.2-hectare plot of ungrafted Riesling vines planted in 1900, making it the second-oldest producing Riesling vineyard in the Mosel, with just 1,000 to 1,200 vines. Additional ungrafted parcels include Senheimer Vogteiberg, Neefer Frauenberg, and purchased fruit from the Bremmer Calmont, one of the steepest vineyard slopes in all of Europe, for which Stein pays premium prices to help sustain viticulture on that extreme terrain. Roughly 90% of the estate's vines are ungrafted, and average vine age exceeds 60 years across the portfolio.

• Palmberg-Terrassen: grand cru site in St. Aldegund with blue and gray slate; ungrafted vines aged 90 to over 100 years
• Alfer Hölle 1900: 0.2 hectares, planted 1900, second-oldest producing Riesling vineyard in the Mosel; 1,000 to 1,200 ungrafted vines
• Himmelreich: 0.25 hectares acquired 2009, blue slate, steeply terraced upper reaches
• Bremmer Calmont grapes purchased at premium prices; one of the steepest vineyard slopes in Europe

Stein's wines are defined by their striking restraint and precision. Riesling accounts for 80% of production, with Spätburgunder at 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon at 4%, Elbling at 3%, and Pinot Chardonnay and Merlot making up the remainder. The house style runs dry to off-dry, with Kabinett-level wines as the mainstay of the portfolio; alcohol typically sits between 10 and 11.5%, preserving the wines' nerve and freshness even in warmer vintages. All wines ferment spontaneously with native yeasts, are unfined, and produced with minimal sulfur additions. Ulli champions the resilience of old ungrafted vines: their deep root systems, he argues, confer natural resistance to both drought and excess rainfall, making them increasingly valuable in an era of climate instability. The 2024 vintage was released as a Kabinett-only offering, with Ulli preferring its balance to that of 2021, describing it as a blend of the charm of 2023 and the acid focus of 2021.

• Grape mix: 80% Riesling, 10% Spätburgunder, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Elbling, 2% Pinot Chardonnay, 1% Merlot
• All wines ferment spontaneously with native yeasts; unfined and made with minimal sulfur
• Typical alcohol 10 to 11.5%; dry to off-dry style, Kabinett level as portfolio mainstay
• 2024 vintage released as Kabinett-only; Ulli described it as more balanced than 2021, combining 2023 charm with 2021 acid and focus

In an era when many of the Mosel's most celebrated addresses concentrate on the Middle Mosel's famous crus, Weingut Stein stands as the most compelling argument for the Lower Mosel's potential and the most eloquent defender of its future. Ulli Stein's combination of scientific training, legal tenacity, and genuine passion for the land has produced results that extend well beyond his own cellar: the restoration of Strohwein production in Germany, the lifting of the Mosel's red wine ban, and a public manifesto that has shaped the conversation around steep-slope preservation. The estate attracts a fanatical following in Europe and growing recognition in the United States through importer Vom Boden. For students of German wine, Stein represents a set of principles, ungrafted vines, spontaneous fermentation, low alcohol, mineral-driven terroir expression, that are as close to a living textbook as the Mosel offers. The wines are not museum pieces; importers describe the 2024 releases as fiercely classic.

• VDP member; exported to the USA through importer Vom Boden, with a strong following in Europe
• Instrumental in restoring Strohwein production in Germany and lifting the Mosel red wine ban that ran from 1933 to 1986
• 2010 Mosel Manifesto advocated for steep vineyard preservation and fair farmer wages, shaping regional policy debate
• Estate represents one of the Mosel's highest concentrations of ungrafted vines at approximately 90% of total plantings