Weingut Johann Peter Mertes

Mosel Riesling in the feinherb tradition, from Kanzem's slate vineyards.

Weingut Johann Peter Mertes works the steep slate slopes of Kanzem, in the Mosel valley. The vineyard's focus is Riesling—the region's signature variety—rendered in the feinherb style: off-dry, with residual sugar balanced by the grape's natural acidity. The Bockstein Riesling Feinherb and Sank Feinherb represent the winery's core expression, both Rieslings that marry the mineral precision of Mosel terroir with a touch of sweetness. Falstaff has rated these wines. The feinherb category sits between trocken (dry) and halbtrocken (half-dry), offering a middle path that lets Riesling's stone-fruit character and floral notes emerge without the austerity of bone-dry styles.