Winery Armin Appel

After Julius Appel's training as a wine cooper, they moved to Trierer Straße in 1964. From 1973, Mathilde and Julius Appel ran the winery as a full-time business with a vineyard area of 2 ha. In 1979, a new winery building and a wine tasting room were added. Armin Appel, the current owner, trained as a wine cooper in 1988 and as a viticultural technician in 1994. In 1996 he joined his parents' business and became cellar master in 2000. Between 1996 and 2012, the vineyard area increased from 2.5 ha to 9 ha. In the top vineyards Saarburger Rausch, Ockfener Bockstein and Ayler Kupp, more than 90 % Riesling, 3 % Rivaner and 5 % Spätburgunder are harvested on 10 ha of vineyards. Vineyard work at the Appel estate means mostly manual labour with up to 1,500 hours per ha under extremely difficult conditions. Wines that reflect the potential of the Great Saar Sites are produced in the tradition of craftsmanship. The cool temperatures favour Riesling in particular, which can ripen here for up to 140 days from blossom to grape harvest. This, in combination with the rugged slate slopes, produces wines with a unique spectrum of aromas and a filigree and noble taste. Here, the Riesling acquires a mostly light, yet lasting and distinctive style through its minerality and pronounced fruit acidity.