Steep slate slopes offer optimal conditions for the Riesling. Viniculture goes back to the Romans. The cabinet-wines and early harvests are highlights every season.
The Mosel and the Mosel vintners are both very stubborn. The Mosel, because it still slowly flows along in our fast times, and the vintners because they refuse to see that the steep slopes of the river make viniculture impossible. Together they created an unbelievable landscape. Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is one of the largest closed Riesling areas of the world. The steep terraces are difficult to harvest by hand. The best locations are reserved for the Riesling.
The Riesling of the Saar are smoother than that from the Mosel and along Ruwer gets a special original note. The Resling bouquets of this region are exceptionally fine and noble. The special wine-class "Riesling-Hochgewächs", where the clusters are marked for their higher (10° Öchsele more weight) says something for the quality of Mosel wines. In the valleys mostly Müller-Thurgau is grown. It's amount is stagnating at 22%. It is only sold as label-wine and serves as a cut. A very old culture vine is the Elbling, whose quality has never really been up to par. Its former wide spread is due to taxes, for which cheap mass-wines were popular. It is suitable for making sparkling wines. The Kerner, a new breed (Trollinger x Riesling) is similar to the Riesling, but has more harvest. Other new breeds are the Bacchus, Optima, and Ortega.
The capital of Mosel is Trier, the "Rome of the West". But the Jugendstil-town of Traben-Tarbach, Reichsburg in Cochem, Zell or Beilstein are popular desitnations. On the large s-curve between Kinheim and Lieser the village names are a delicious Mosel alphabet. The noblevines stretch along for 20km and lead to a true wine-hike.
Winery (selected) from Wine country Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
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