The past decade has been an exciting and innovative one for Reichsrat Von Buhl.

The hugely committed young wine team led by Stefan Weber and his winemaker Frank John was taken on in 1989 as part of a massive investment of both money and skill in the cellars and viticultural techniques. With 57 hectares of prime vineyards in the Mittlehaardt region the majority of sites being in Eorst, Deidesheim and Ruppersberg - the estate has taken up the challenge of environmentally friendly cultivation and wine production.

Special attention is paid to keeping the yields low and thereby concentrating the fruit whilst selective picking of grapes according to their degree of ripeness means that pickers harvest each vineyard in up to five picking `runs'. Cool fermentation extracts the full, fine flavour of the grapes and prolonged storage with yeasts ensures that the fresh acidity becomes fully integrated with the fruit.

All this commitment-merely reflects the standards which this estate has maintained since it was founded in 1849. Having been acknowledged as one of Germany's top producers for more than 150 years, the recent investment began to - literally bear fruit from the `96 vintage which showed their dry wines to particular advantage, in addition to the traditional delicate fruity Rieslings and noble sweet specialities.

Awards from every major wine publication have followed and demonstrate that Von Buhl really is an outstanding, world-class estate.