Weingut Gysler

At A Glance

Weingut Gysler is a 12-hectare estate in Alzey-Weinheim, western Rheinhessen, run by owner and winemaker Alexander Gysler. Its dry Rieslings, Pinots, Scheurebe, sparkling wines and Vin Vivant bottlings come from a farm certified organic since 2004 and Demeter-certified since 2007; the result is a range that moves from fresh, rounded Riesling to unfiltered, sulphur-free wines.

The Producer

Alexander Gysler works from Großer Spitzenberg 8 in Alzey-Weinheim, on a property built in 1750. His bottles carry a family estate-bottling tradition begun by his father, Gernot, in 1969, while the present range is shaped by Alexander’s organic farming and Demeter certification. Sandstein Riesling, Kammerton, Klangwerk and the Vin Vivant wines show the same estate through different picking, grape and cellar choices.

Place

The vineyards lie in western Rheinhessen, around Alzey, where a slightly cooler climate and constant winds support freshness in dry wines. In Gysler’s Rieslings, that setting helps keep citrus and fruit lively rather than broad; Sandstein is described as fresh and round, while the old-vine Weinheimer Kammerton has more body and juice. Place appears on the labels through the progression from estate Riesling to Weinheimer Riesling and then Klangwerk from vum Helle.

Soil And Site

The range uses site names rather than a single undifferentiated Riesling. Kammerton comes from old vines in Weinheim, and Klangwerk comes from vum Helle, while Sandstein is assembled from a first pass through every Gysler Riesling parcel, including fruit from vum Helle. This picking structure keeps Sandstein fruit-led and approachable, while the named-vineyard Klangwerk carries more power and juice.

Story

Gernot Gysler began bottling wine from the family property in 1969. Alexander, who had first earned an engineering degree, succeeded his father in the late 1990s and redirected the vineyard work: the whole estate has been certified organic since 2004, with Demeter certification and inspection from 2007. The change reaches the bottle through dry whites, Pinot Brut and Vin Vivant wines made without filtration or sulphur addition, rather than through a separate conventional line.

Vineyards And Cellar

Gysler’s vineyard work is organic across the estate and Demeter-certified, so the farming framework begins in the vines rather than with cellar corrections. The wines are also vegan, and the estate states that it avoids cellar treatment products. For the Vin Vivant Rieslings, no filtration and no sulphur addition leave a different texture and aromatic profile from the dry Riesling range; the 2016 Riesling Natur was unfiltered, unpumped and not bottled until September 2018.

Wines

The dry range starts with Sandstein Riesling: fruity, fresh, round and harmonious. Kammerton adds old-vine Weinheimer fruit, a juicy palate and firmer body, while Klangwerk from vum Helle brings more power without leaving the dry Riesling frame. These three bottles show increasing concentration and site definition rather than three versions of the same wine.

Beyond Riesling, Sternenglanz Weißburgunder is juicy with grip and discreet citrus at the finish; Feldstärke Grauburgunder is lively and refreshing with more Pinot weight; and Sonnentau Scheurebe combines fruit, spice and freshness. Funkenflug, a dry Spätburgunder rosé, has fine fruit, fuller body and a noticeable tannin frame. Pinot Brut is a hand-riddled Blanc de Noir with fine mousse and a full-bodied feel. Pet Nat and the Vin Vivant wines take the range toward naturally sparkling or unfiltered bottles.

In The Glass

Across the dry whites, expect fruit first: citrus in Sternenglanz, ripe but fresh Riesling fruit in Sandstein, and aromatic fruit with spice in Sonnentau. The middle of the palate changes with grape and source. Sandstein stays rounded; Kammerton carries more juice and firm body from old vines; Weißburgunder brings grip; Grauburgunder adds weight. Freshness from the cooler, windy setting keeps the finish dry and active rather than soft.

The Vin Vivant Rieslings offer a different route through the same grape. Their lack of filtration and sulphur addition can bring more texture and a less smoothed surface than the estate’s dry Rieslings. Pinot Brut shifts the experience again: Pinot fruit sits beneath fine mousse, and its fuller body makes it a table-ready sparkling wine rather than a merely aperitif-style bottle.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Sandstein Riesling trocken, particularly the 2024 when available. It is dry Riesling made from the first picking pass through Gysler’s Riesling parcels, including fruit from vum Helle, so it gathers the estate’s vineyard area into one bottle rather than isolating one site. Expect fruity citrus character, fresh acidity, a round texture and a harmonious dry finish. It comes before Kammerton and Klangwerk because its lighter structure makes the later old-vine and named-site Rieslings easier to read.

Anecdote

In 2004, Alexander Gysler became a father when his daughter Johanna was born. He has described that event as the moment that forced a practical question about the vines: he wanted to walk through them with her and let her eat the grapes. The estate converted its entire operation to certified organic farming that year. Three years later, in 2007, Demeter began certifying and inspecting the farm. The change now sits behind bottles as different as Sandstein Riesling and the unfiltered Vin Vivant wines, but its starting point was a father thinking about grapes in a vineyard with his young daughter.

Final Word

Gysler is useful to explore through contrast: Sandstein for fresh, rounded dry Riesling; Kammerton and Klangwerk for more body and site detail; Sternenglanz, Feldstärke and Sonnentau for the estate’s other white grapes; Pinot Brut for mousse and Pinot weight; Vin Vivant for an unfiltered, sulphur-free edge. The common thread is a 12-hectare Alzey-Weinheim farm whose organic work changes how each bottle arrives in the glass.

At A Glance

The Producer

Place

Soil And Site

Story

Vineyards And Cellar

Wines

In The Glass

A Bottle To Understand It

Anecdote

Final Word

Sources

Where to go next