Sybille Kuntz. The Riesling Lady with High Standards

Last week of February 2026, Sybille Kuntz visited Vilnius for the first time, accompanied by her husband, Markus. Her professional itinerary included a couple of masterclasses and a dinner featuring older vintages—though one can hardly bring oneself to call them "old."

We meet Sybille and Markus in a bustling coffee shop. Sitting before me is a woman who, four decades ago, decided to challenge the traditions of her native Mosel. As we sip our coffee, our conversation naturally turns to where it all began.

Sybille, you have been in winemaking for over 40 years. Looking back, what was the most difficult part of those early years?

Perhaps finding my own style and my own way of creating dry Riesling because at that time, it wasn't common in the Mosel region. Most wines were sweet or semi-sweet. Almost no one produced dry Kabinett or Spätlese (late harvest). So, the most important thing was finding the right path. In the very beginning, the wine was "bone dry," but year after year, I found my ideal way to express the Mosel terroir through dry Riesling.

You started with just 1.7 hectares. Now you have 20 (Editor's note: a drop in the ocean by winemaking standards). How did you manage to expand like that, and how did you choose your plots? Was it calculation or intuition?

It all started with a few plots inherited from my parents, including two small ones in the Grand Cru Niederberg-Helden. Back then, it was still possible to buy more land there, today it’s not. We knew that historically these were some of the best sites in the Mosel, so we focused on them.

All our vineyards are on steep slopes. Even what we call "flat" in the Pauls Valley, where our Qualitätswein and Kabinett are made, has a 40–50% incline, a side valley formed by the River Mosel some thirty-five thousand years ago. But the best and the largest part of all vineyards of course is in the Grand Cru Niederberg-Helden. It is a slope with 60–70% incline and vines were planted in the 1920s as „selection massale“ and are still own rooted. So, the exposition here is unique. The midday sun hits the vines vertically and in addition the Mosel River reflects the sun with mirror like intensity. This creates incredible concentration of grapes and a as a result – the superb wine.

And how many bottles do you manage to produce from 20 hectares?

On average, 70,000 bottles. But it depends on the harvest. For example, in 2024 much less — there were frosts in April, and the vineyards in the Pauls Valley, for instance, suffered 100% loss. That had never happened before. You are always at the mercy of the weather. Sometimes it’s good to have a reserve of previous vintages in the cellar. In 2017, we also had spring frosts and hail in August. The yield was extremely low, and we only produced 35,000 bottles.

Working on such slopes must be incredibly difficult. What do you enjoy most in the vineyard, and which job feels the most challenging?

Interesting question. What I like most is pruning the vines in winter because that’s when we have the chance to decide how the vines will grow and choose the best path to obtain superior grapes. The hardest part is the harvest. Once the grapes have finished ripening, we can’t change anything. We have to work with what we have and try to make the best wine from it. Before the harvest, we can make corrections: manage the leaves, control yields—but during the harvest, everything is already predefined.

Many say the secret of the Mosel lies in the soil. Why is your Devonian blue slate so important? (Editor's note: rock formed approximately 360–415 million years ago).

This soil is very rocky; it can store heat at night and release it during the day. Essentially, it’s a unique battery. Furthermore, slate provides excellent drainage. If it rains before harvest, the slate carries the water away, so the berries don’t absorb excess moisture, swell, or crack. For Riesling, this is essential because it has a long ripening cycle—from April to October. And the acidity should be balanced. This is possible by physiological ripeness, the combination of soil, terroir, closeness to the river. All these factors finally plays into a perfect harmony expressed in the wine.

But the climate is changing. Everyone is talking about global warming, and Burgundy wines with 16% alcohol are becoming the norm. How are you dealing with this? Have you started harvesting earlier, like they do in Champagne or Bordeaux?

Yes, we start earlier than we did in the '90s, but thanks to biodynamics and a natural approach, the leaves turn yellow sooner. We have a natural ripening process that doesn't depend on chemicals that keep the leaves green. Thus, the vegetation cycle ends earlier, and our dry wines stay at 12.5% or 13.5% alcohol, rather than 15% or 16%. Our vines adapt naturally and that’s the advantage of being biodynamics. Nature is wiser than us if you don't interfere with it.

Do you have any favorite vintages?

It’s hard to pick just one. Yesterday we tasted the 1994—it was a difficult year because of the high acidity. It took a long time, and only now, in 2026, has it become truly soft. The 2009 is completely different: deep, rounded, and very aromatic. And 2010 was outstanding for the Auslese category thanks to a fantastic balance of sugar and very high acidity.

How did you decide back then that the 1994 needed to be kept for another 30 years? Was it a prediction, experience, or just faith that your wines would develop beautifully? More importantly, how do you make these decisions now, and how many bottles do you keep?

Generally, we know our wines age very well. So, 1994 wasn’t just my decision, but also a decision by our customers. The acidity was very high, and I didn’t want to lower it using a deacidifying agent. After '94, we sold the more moderate 1995. Our cellar capacity allows us to store wine and wait until the time is right. And that time has come. Of course, there is some risk, but not for Riesling... Riesling can be aged forever (there is confidence in her voice). Back then, we didn't have such wide distribution or as many partners as we do now. I didn't want to release the wine too early or too quickly; that’s below our standards. Riesling has always been famous for traveling through time and across borders. Now everyone is asking for older vintages, and we have them. There is always a time when such wine becomes sought after again. We just need to wait and be patient. To look at everything with a long-term perspective—and not go bankrupt (laughs).

What are the oldest vintages currently in your cellar?

Let me think... 1971 and 1976 from my parents. There is 1991, but literally just a couple of bottles. I recently tasted 1990, 1988, and 1984—magnificent wines. There are also 2000 and subsequent years.

This is perhaps the most popular question you've heard, but how many berries does it take to produce a 0.75L bottle of BA and TBA? (Editor's note: BA and TBA are abbreviations for the highest levels of the German Prädikat system, referring to sweet wines).

Oh, TBA requires more than BA because the berries are very small—about the size of raisins—and they don't have much juice. We calculated that it takes about 7,300 berries for one bottle. That’s a lot. And all those berries come exclusively from a Grand Cru plot.

At this point, Markus pulls out his phone and shows photos of these berries. It is important to understand that BA and TBA are not produced every year, but only under specific weather conditions.

Markus grows Pinot Noir on 2 hectares of vineyards in the Baden region, also inherited from his parents. While Sybille takes a sip of coffee, I ask:

Markus, what is the difference between the climate in Mosel and Baden? Why is Pinot Noir popular in that region?

In Baden, it’s more humid in the summer, but in the autumn during harvest, it’s warmer and drier, which is ideal for Pinot Noir. In the Mosel, there’s less moisture in the summer, but during harvest, there is fog in the morning and sun during the day. The fog affects the skin of the berries, which allows botrytis (the "noble rot" fungus that enables the production of BA and TBA) to develop. This is a killer for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but perfect for Riesling.

What followed was a ten-minute explanation of why the Mosel is a Riesling region rather than Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, covering soil differences, plots, the importance of exposure, and the cost of mistakes. Finally, I ask about hobbies and receive an unexpected answer that explains why Sybille’s wines are so wonderful.

The vineyards are our hobby. For us, it’s not work. We love spending time and working there. Rather, we all relax together in the vineyards, enjoying this privilege of nature and taking pleasure in it. We also love to travel, visiting the markets we like and work with... We don't need meditative or psychological therapy like some people with stressful jobs. Meditation for us is being in the vineyards, without phones—just us together.