The crisp, refreshing style of the Balthasar Ress wines is down to a brilliant geographical quirk along the River Rhine. On its journey through Germany, the water takes a sudden, sharp turn west for just sixteen miles before heading north again to the sea. This little kink creates sun-drenched, south-facing hillsides that get some of the best weather in the region. Founded way back in 1870 by a local butcher who wanted to make his own wine for his hotel guests, the estate has stayed wholly in the family for five generations.
Today, they work entirely without artificial chemicals, having transitioned the vineyards completely to organic farming. Working these steep, stony banks by hand is back-breaking work, but it keeps the soil healthy and the fruit clean. This straightforward approach leaves the Riesling grape to do what it does best: deliver massive bursts of bright citrus, green apple, and a refreshing, mouth-watering finish that instantly makes you want another sip.
They still make their historic original house wine, named ‘Von Unserm’—which literally translates to ‘from us’. It was the absolute favourite bottle for guests at the family hotel over a century ago, and it remains the ultimate benchmark for a dry, honest, and completely unpretentious German white wine. Every bottle across the range carries that exact same energy, proving that real German Riesling is all about pure fruit and absolute drinking pleasure.