A Moselle white with a bit of grip
Amber gold. Ripe pear, dried apricot and a little orange peel, with a nutty note from the skins. Light on its feet at 10.5%, with fresh acidity and a gentle, dry grip at the end.
- pear
- dried apricot
- orange peel
- hazelnut
- Body
- light
- Acidity
- fresh
- Grip
- gentle grip
- Fruit
- stone fruit
100% Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc is one of the workhorse grapes of the Luxembourg Moselle. On its own it makes soft, polite whites, and a lot of it ends up in crémant.
Left on its skins it gains colour, texture and a little tannin, and keeps the freshness the Moselle is known for.
A white grape fermented on its skins
- Picked by handFrom Paul's vines on the Luxembourg Moselle
- Fermented on the skinsWhere the amber colour and the light grip come from
- Pressed offOnce the skins have given enough
- Bottled with little addedLow intervention, minimal sulphites
Paul Zahlen
Paul's grandparents grew grapes in Greiveldange and sold them to the big Moselle cooperative. Paul bought his own first vines in 2020, Rivaner and Gewürztraminer around Schengen and Remerschen, and added a block of Auxerrois soon after. By day he still works at the Institut Viti-Vinicole in Remich, the state wine institute, on vineyard trials.
His friend Jeff Konsbrück of JK Winery in Ahn lends him tanks and advice in the cellar, and his retired father helps in the vines. Crémant makes up about half of what he bottles. The rest is a mix of classic Moselle whites and side projects like a pét-nat and an orange wine, which you rarely see from a young Luxembourg estate.
How to serve and pair it
Some pairing ideas
- Choucroute garnieFat, salt and a wine with grip
- Pumpkin risottoSoft and sweet, with a bit of texture to meet it
- Roast pork with applesA Moselle classic
- Mature GoudaNutty cheese, nutty wine
If you like this one, try...
Another orange wine that stays light and juicy. Made from seven old local grapes by Marto in Flonheim.
An orange wine from Muscat grapes near Lisbon. More perfume, same dry finish.
Paul's other side project: a fizzy Pinot Gris, bottled before it finished fermenting.
More from Pauls
Producer: Pauls Winery, Paul Zahlen, 2A Rue de Rolling, L-5421 Erpeldange, Luxembourg