The term "historical" gets thrown around a lot in the wine world, with families staking claims to generational winemaking sometimes spanning hundreds of years. And while the Klein family have been continuously operating here since 1805, this winery has been in operation since 862AD. Yeah, we felt compelled to add AD to emphasize how absurdly historical this property is. That makes Staffelter Hof not only one of the oldest wineries in history but also one of the oldest companies in continuous operation. 

As you can imagine, a winery spanning more than a millenia, has seen some changes throughout its history. Fast forward to 2014, when Jan Klein received organic certification after upending all existing vineyard practices, and you can see a snapshot of the modern wine world. Despite the steep slopes that used to require pesticide-spraying helicopters, all work is now done by hand with maximum effort dedicated to sustainability and vineyard health. 

Part of the winery's more classically-styled Mosel wines, although with a low-intervention minded approach, the Schiefer Riesling, dubbed "Pandemonium", stands out for it's low alcohol but bracingly high acidity style. A dry, intensely crisp and refreshing Riesling with tons of citrus, floral and mineral characteristics. This wine is at at the intersection of "not too fussy, open and enjoy anytime" and "thought-provoking and underrated complexity". Very compelling and extremely delicious!

Great with South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. A natural vibe with light seafood like mussels, scallops., sashimi and sushi. And an absolute killer with German bratwurst with sauerkraut.