Bischöfliche Weingüter releases 450 bottles of 2018 AURA Riesling sparkling wine
The 1st tranche of AURA Kapitel 1: Aufbruch, made with Riesling from Scharzhofberg, was disgorged in February 2026 after 72 months on the lees.
Warm, sunny weather lasting far into autumn made 2018 particularly favorable for late-ripening Riesling in the Saar, where cool nights helped the grapes retain freshness and aroma. The management of Bischöfliche Weingüter in Trier chose a batch from its leading site, Scharzhofberg, for sparkling-wine production.1
When Julia Lübcke became the estate’s new director in 2020, she found several thousand crown-capped bottles in the cellar, maturing with an uncertain outcome. She tasted the wine repeatedly and decided to develop the cellar find into a benchmark Riesling sparkling wine.1
The 1st tranche was disgorged in February 2026 after 72 months on the lees and finished with a small dosage of 2015 Trittenheimer Apotheke. The resulting sparkling wine is described as having a fine mousse, a creamy texture, delicate brioche notes, herbal spice and minerality while retaining lively freshness.1
Named AURA Kapitel 1: Aufbruch, the tranche consists of 450 bottles priced at €79, with most allocated to restaurants. Further chapters are planned for the coming years, and sparkling wines from later Scharzhofberg vintages are already resting on their lees, allowing the AURA project to continue after the 2018 stock is exhausted.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.