New sparkling products from Prinz Salm – with & without alcohol

Sparkling wine plays an important role in the family business run by Prince Felix and Princess Victoria zu Salm-Salm. “When I took over the business from my father in 2015, we rethought the topic of sparkling wine and placed greater emphasis on it,” explains the winemaker and oenologist.

Prince Felix and his team gained expertise and sparkling wine competence at workshops organised by the Germany’s top winery grouping, the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), and in Champagne. Inspired by these new experiences and over a century of German sparkling wine tradition, Prinz Salm produced two sparkling wines: ‘La Principessa’ and ‘Wildgraf Sekt’. “After the success of these two sparkling wines, the next logical step for us was to produce a single-varietal Riesling sparkling wine from a single vineyard for the first time,” says Prince Felix.  

Premiere of FELSENECK  

To achieve this, he uses only Riesling grapes from the VDP.GROSSE LAGE® FELSENECK in Wallhausen. The predominately green Dalberg slate there is a rarity, surrounded by loamy clay and sandy loam. The steep slopes face south and, with gradients of up to 45 percent, require a lot of manual labour.  

Patience is rewarded 

In addition to practical experience and theoretical knowledge, this requires one thing above all else: time. As the Bible says: ‘Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is impatient displays folly’. Prince Felix zu Salm-Salm also applies this principle to winemaking. After selective hand harvesting, the whole grapes are pressed and spontaneously fermented before the base wine is left untouched to mature for ten months in large wooden barrels.  

As with the two VDP.SEKTS ‘La Principessa’ and ‘Wildgraf Sekt’, the winery uses traditional bottle fermentation for the FELSENECK Riesling Sekt Brut – but at an even higher quality level: VDP.SEKT.PRESTIGE®. For this gold standard of German sparkling wine, the sparkling wine must mature on the lees for at least 36 months before being disgorged – a year longer than the 24-month minimum required for VDP.SEKT.  

Prinz Salm needed plenty of patience when developing the 2020 FELSENECK Riesling Brut: “Fifty months of ageing on the lees after traditional bottle fermentation ensures a creamy, sparkling mouthfeel. Supported by the fresh acidity that always characterises Riesling from the Nahe region, the result is a perfect sparkling wine that bubbles with elegance," explains the winemaker.  

Going without it: Verjus Sparkling 0.0% 

In addition to the single vineyard sparkling wine, Prinz Salm winery has another debut that allows people to toast festive occasions without alcohol. A completely naturally produced non-alcoholic beverage: Verjus Sparkling 0.0%.  

Verjus is the juice from unripe grapes and therefore contain less sugar and more acidity – ideal for an elegant zero-alcohol alternative to classic sparkling wine.  

“With a hint of tonic aroma and fine mousseux, Verjus Sparkling exudes nobility even without alcohol. A light, delicately tart aperitif for anyone who wants to rethink enjoyment.” – Princess Victoria of Salm-Salm.