Moselle wine-growing region: unmistakable

For a long time, the Moselle was considered by many Germans and Dutch people to be the ideal holiday region for caravanners. Many towns along the river had made their best sites available for campsites directly on the banks and wine tourism was very popular in the towns. Wine festivals, simple and cheap food and often cheap sweet wine characterised the image of the region. Riesling on the steep slopes was increasingly replaced by Müller-Thurgau, Kerner and other varieties in the flatter, easier-to-grow hinterland. The whole area was in danger of withering away.

Today there are still campsites and in some places wine bliss, but the image of the Moselle has been straightened out in many people's minds. A lot has also happened in the region itself. This is reflected in the gastronomy, which is now much more diverse and ranges from the wine bar "Die Mosel" to the 3-star hotel "Schanz" or a little further inland to the Waldhotel Sonora.

Above all, however, the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer are home to ambitious wineries that produce great classics as well as young, wild naturals. The basis for the success on the three rivers - apart from the Upper Moselle with its limestone-rich soils - is primarily based on the interplay of steep slopes with perfect sunlight, the omnipresent slate and the Riesling, which transforms this terroir into wine.

Nik Weis

Hot days, cool nights, steep slopes, indomitable slate, sunshine almost like at the equator. Riesling specialist Nik Weis calls the Moselle region the "valley of extremes". Here, "it is crucial to have an eye for detail and to recognise the subtle differences in the big picture."

Clemens Busch Winery

In Pünderich, where the Moselle pushes through a narrow bend and the slopes drop steeply to the river, is the Clemens Busch vineyard, run by its namesake, partner Rita and son Johannes.

Van Volxem

When the remains of ancient settlements are found on a vineyard, it is historically valuable - but above all it is a sign that even the Romans appreciated the steep slopes of the Saar.

Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken Winery

The Zilliken family's viticulture can be traced back to 1742. Today Dorothee Zilliken runs the winery. The team includes father and cellar master Hanno, husband Philipp and mother Ruth.

Omnipresent Riesling

Riesling makes the Moselle a white wine region. 91 per cent of the cultivated area between the southern Moselle gate near Perl and the mouth of the Rhine near Koblenz is planted with white grape varieties, over 60 per cent of which is Riesling. This makes the appellation the second largest Riesling wine-growing region in the world after the Palatinate. But unlike in the Palatinate, where the vineyards tend to rise gently or nestle somewhat more steeply against the Mittelhaardt, the Moselle is also the largest steep-slope region in the world, characterised by red, blue or green Devonian slate. However, slate is also a soil on which Pinot Noir develops a special class. It has only been allowed to be cultivated on the Moselle since 1987 and now produces some excellent quality wines. In fact, Pinot Noir should have a rosy future on the Moselle. The Maximin Grünhaus winery is also focussing on this grape variety and is presenting a VDP. Großes Gewächs made from Pinot Noir.

Maximin Grünhaus Winery

The Maximin Grünhaus winery is located near Trier, where the Ruwer flows into the Moselle. Wine has been cultivated here since Roman times. The estate has been in the hands of the von Schubert family for several generations, and today Maximin von Schubert is at the helm.

Traditionally, almost exclusively Riesling is produced. The switch to more elaborate, organically orientated production took place many years ago.

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Not all Moselle wines are the same

Speaking of Maximin Grünhaus ... Of course, not all Mosel wines are the same ... The Moselle wine-growing region stretches from the Luxembourg border to the mouth of the Rhine near Koblenz, covering four zones on the Moselle and two on the Saar and Ruwer tributaries. The smallest area is the Moselle gate at the Dreiländreck. The Upper Moselle zone comprises the upper part of the German Moselle, as the river has already travelled 278 kilometres into France, where winegrowing is also practised. At the border triangle, the river leaves France and is initially a border river between Luxembourg and Germany for 36 kilometres until the Saar flows into the Moselle and the soil structure changes completely. The Upper Moselle is the last spur of the Paris Basin with 670 hectares of shell limestone, Keuper and marl soils, on which Burgundy and Elbling varieties in particular thrive.

Slate dominates from Konz onwards. The Saar area covers 720 hectares and 22 individual vineyards. These include the world-famous Scharzhofberg vineyard. The Middle Moselle begins after the city of Trier, but is immediately interrupted by the mouth of the Ruwer. Here there are 200 hectares, almost exclusively steep slopes with some of the oldest, pre-Roman vineyards.

The heart beats on the Middle Moselle

From Schweich to just before Zell, famous village, vineyard and winery names follow one another. These include Würzig, Wehlen, Zeltingen, Erden or Zeltinger with vineyards such as the Ürziger Würzgarten, the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, the Erdener Treppchen or the Berncasteler Doctor. From Zell onwards, it becomes even steeper and the Moselle meanders even more narrowly through the valley. Anyone who has climbed down one of the vineyards here will have an idea of what the Moselle winegrowers do every day. The Bremmer Calmont has a slope inclination of up to 68 degrees - that's an incredible 248 per cent. The Riesling here is grown on tiny terraces that have been wrested from the mountain. This work is only worthwhile if the winegrowers are well paid for their wines, as the labour required is around four to five times higher than in Rheinhessen or the Palatinate. Especially if, like Clemens Busch, you are one of the organic pioneers and the vineyards cannot be sprayed from a helicopter.

But what the top winegrowers in our portfolio produce on the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer is worth every effort: the Rieslings, whether Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese or Großes Gewächs, are pure and clear, with slate-driven acidity and minerality, light and yet highly complex. Above all, however, they are unmistakable.

Here you can find more wine-growing regions in Germany.