Tradition box

Old craftsmanship. New passion. Our ‘Tradition’ wines. We are delighted to finally share these special Rieslings with you. “As a former archaeology student, I have always been fascinated by rediscovering the old winemaking traditions of my great-grandfathers and grandfathers. Much of this knowledge has been lost over the last century. Through learning by doing, and with a great deal of heart and patience, we have rediscovered this old style of characterful and balanced wines. This traditional style of lightly fruity Rieslings is spontaneously fermented in wooden barrels, aged for two years on the lees, and then aged for at least ten years in the bottle before being released. These wines, formerly known as off-dry and now marketed under the name ‘Tradition,’ are an impressive testament to mature Rieslings.” — Ernst Loosen

The package includes the following bottles (0.75l):
1 x 2012 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett “Tradition”
1 x 1993 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese “Tradition”
1 x 2008 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese “Tradition”

A STORY OF TWO FAMILIES
Our Dr. Loosen winery unites two distinct winemaking traditions – from both sides of my family. My mother's family favored a delicate, light Mosel Riesling with a touch of residual sweetness – a signature style of my grandfather, Dr. Adams, who married into my mother's winery, Dr. Zach Bergweiler-Prüm-Erben. Later, I discovered another fascinating truth: My paternal great-grandfather, Peter Loosen from Ürzig, was an uncompromising advocate of dry wines. For him, any sweetness in Riesling was a flaw, and he simply sold any barrels that didn't dry completely as bulk wine. Both paths have their own unique appeal – and we have decided to continue both with respect and passion.
HOW WE REDISCOVER THE TRADITION OF OFF-DRY AND SWEET RIESLINGS AS PRODUCED BY MY GRANDFATHER.
After countless tastings of Rieslings from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, I became curious about how these Prädikat wines of our ancestors were produced – before the German wine law of 1971 changed so much. This new law shifted the focus to must weight, instead of the single vineyard site and the recognizability of the Prädikat classification through tasting. Until 1971, there were clear rules for residual sugar in Prädikat wines like Kabinett and Spätlese: the potential alcohol content determined how much residual sugar a natural wine or Spätlese could have. Wines with, for example, 76° Oechsle were allowed to contain approximately 25–30 g/l of residual sugar – no more. The 1971 law abolished these limits, and suddenly many wines became increasingly opulent and sweet. To revive the original style with its subtle residual sweetness – as my grandfather used to say – we launched our "Tradition" project. Sporadically since 1993, but regularly since 2012, we produce one Kabinett, one Spätlese, and one Auslese each vintage – using our grandfather's methods: spontaneously fermented in the barrel, aged for two years in large wooden casks on the lees, and then matured for another ten years in the bottle after bottling before release. Patience is our most important ally here.