For each of the quality wine regions, the state where the vineyards are located keeps a formal vineyard roll weinbergsrolle which lists all formally recognised vineyards of the region, with detailed surveying maps defining the geographical extent of each vineyard. In a piece of rebranding, 1st august 2007 saw the moselsaarruwer wine region officially renamed mosel. With a settled history that predates the romans, it is yours to discover on one of our moselle river cruises. It is home to the worlds steepest vineyard, the bremmer calmont. I make my way through the mosel wine region of germany which runs gracefully alongside the serpentinelike river. The 15 best things to do in mosel wine region 2020 with. The region includes the saar and ruwer river tributaries and is centered on the city of trier. Thus, the full list of mosel vineyards in fact consist of separate lists in two. New book revealing exciting world of german wines infinite ideas. Learn about the various mosel wine regions with wine enthusiast magazines easy to use mosel wine guide. Oct 16, 2015 were in a land whose roots run deepin history and in dedication to making wines in a rather inhospitable place. Grapes will sometimes grow beyond this range, thus minor amounts of wine are made in some rather unexpected places.
Ampelography research points to the rhine river region in germanyalsace as the birthplace of riesling. Moselle wine is produced in three countries along the moselle river. Anyone looking for delicious food and wine, stunning landscapes and a warm welcome will find germany wine country truly delightful. The german part of the moselle is a tourist destination. For a full description of the region and its wines, see mosel. Jan 21, 2020 mosel is the most famous of germanys official wine regions, and also the third largest in terms of production. Many vineyards along the river provide wine tasting facilities. Thats not a problem for me, but i thought you might like to read it too, so ive created a condensed history of alsace.
This list of wine producing regions catalogues significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. Perhaps the most intriguing and picturesque landscape in all of germanys wine country lies along the peaceful banks of the mosel which used to be listed as mosel saarruwer on labels until the 2007 vintage. The moselsaarruwer, now called simply the mosel, is the bestknown wineproducing region in germany. This week, style and sweetness aside, i am going to focus on the differences that exist between the various german winegrowing regions with particular focus on the mosel, rheingau and pfalz areas. The essential guide to the wines, producers, and terroirs of the iconic region. Wine 101 grapes regional wines regions wine glossary. Articles, books the style of mosel wine according to h. The mosel is the site of castles, picturesque towns, unique cuisine, and extraordinary wines made from the noble riesling grape. Taking the thirteen regions in turn, krebiehl explains the unique history, geography and.
Most notable among the wines produced here are riesling, elbling, mullerthurgau, kerner, and auxerrois. Probably the most famous and most important region in todays wine market, the mosel saarruwer valleys starts at the ancient roman city of trier and snake through the rhineland to koblenz where it empties into the rhine. Book your tickets online for the top things to do in mosel wine region, germany on tripadvisor. The dramatic slatecovered slopes of the valley especially in the middle mosel are the keys to the region s success. Mosel is one of the great classic winemaking regions in the world and its riesling is part of the hall of fame of fine wines. In previous posts ive discussed german riesling in general as well as the many different styles and levels of sweetness available within german wine law. Today, the vineyards of the moselle region produce some of the worlds best rieslings. The name of this region was changed officially to mosel in fall 2007. Mar 08, 2019 living a modern life of amazonconvenience, its easy to forget wines long history and the complex journey it undertook to arrive bottled and readytodrink on retail shelves. The mosel region is characterized by the river and the high and steep slopes on the banks. History of the riesling grape rudi wiest selections. The moselle valley is famous for its scenery and wine. The vines which grow on the banks of the mosel moselle in french and its tributaries the saar and the ruwer constitute germanys third biggest wine region in. Most wellknown is the german mosel wine region, while the luxembourg winegrowing region is called moselle luxembourgeoise and the french region is called aoc moselle.
The mosel paints a story book landscape with rolling hills and the feeling of serenity. It seems like there is enough fodder for a history of mosel wine article like the history of rioja wine or history of sherry and turn this section into a summary. A travellers wine guide to germany travellers wine guides. A reader of books and articles on the wines of the mosel will get the. The history section is a tad long and out of balanced with the rest of the article.
If you havent heard of the rhine or the mosel river then no sweat, i am sure you might have heard of the famous riesling wine from germany. Most of the vineyards in this region are on extremely steep slopes, some as high as 70 degrees. Today, it has emerged as one of the most collectible white wines among top connoisseurs around the world. Winding roads, ancient mosel castles and cute villages. This is because most wine writers have only noted this area in passing, if at all. Hieronymus bock mentioned riesling in his delightful graphic book herbal written in 1546.
Following are descriptions of notable wine regions in germany. Quality varies in this category, from bulk wines like black cat riesling to decent quality everyday riesling wines sourced from all over the mosel. Riesling is also the preferred grape in production of deutscher sekt, german sparkling wine. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. The middle mosel or mittelmosel is the main wine growing region and includes the villages of bernkastel and piesport.
The work seeks to assist consumers of mosel wine and german wine in general by providing a clear but comprehensive account of the complex classification and nomenclature of german wines, an analysis of major changes in the production and labeling of mosel wines, and a discussion. As with many german regions, it is most aasociated with a range of wine styles made from the riesling grape variety, but mullerthurgau is also widely planted. Location the mosel wine region is located mostly in the german state of rhinelandpalatinate rheinlandpfalz with a little portion. Mosel climate info whats the weather like in mosel, germany. Moselle river cruises the romantic moselle winds through an enchanting landscape of castles, picture book villages and terraced slate hillsides that form one of the worlds richest wine regions. The expanses of the region occupy the entire valley of the river mosel, saar and ruwer. The mosel wine region, located almost entirely in the state of rhinelandpalatinate, with a small part in saarland, is one of the regions anbaugebiete for quality wine in germany defined in the federal wine legislation. An independent publication on mosel riesling and beyond. A brief history of the wines of the upper mosel lars. The mosel saarruwer, now called simply the mosel, is the bestknown wine producing region in germany. History of the mosel river the mosel mozl, german for moselle, is an important european river some 320 miles long.
Following the mosel river as it slithers and weaves dramatically through the eifel mountains in germanys far west, the mosel wine region is considered by many as the source of the worlds finest and longestlived rieslings. The vineyards are planted from konz to perl, in the triborder region of germany, luxembourg, and france. This week, style and sweetness aside, i am going to focus on the differences that exist between the various german wine growing regions with particular focus on the mosel, rheingau and pfalz areas. Wineries upper mosel valley touring in wine country. Mosel is one of german wine regions weinbaugebiete for quality wines and takes its name.
For each of the quality wine regions, the state where the vineyards are located keeps a formal vineyard roll weinbergsrolle which lists all formally recognised vineyards. The 93 best wine books recommended by peter suderman and cb istanbul eats. It is one of the regions of europe that should have been given world heritage status, both for its beauty and its history, but it was never on the german governments list of priorities. As youll find out, its a combination of geology, geography and history riesling was first recorded in germany in 1435 that makes the mosel wine region unique. Mosel wine mosel is the most famous of germany s official wine regions, and also the third largest in terms of production.
Each chapter starts with a thorough introduction of the region, followed by. With more than 50 panoramic maps, this brandnew book illustrates and explains the vital connections between the landscape and the wine. Encyclopedic atlas of wine pg 258259 global book publishing 2006 isbn 1740480503. It is legendary for its rieslings there is nothing quite like them in the world. The mosels climate is pretty cool, especially as winegrowing regions go.
Apr 19, 2017 so what makes the mosel valley so special for this wine and grape. The best wines in germany tend to come from germanys mosel region aka mosel saarruwer. A trip by car to this region is also an attractive option. Wine grapes mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degree of latitude, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. We have a find selection of the best mosel wines on our site, including top german rieslings. The mosel wine region it is believed that the romans planted the first vineyards along the rhine and the mosel, so producing wine has a long tradition here.
The work seeks to assist consumers of mosel wine and german wine in general by providing a clear but comprehensive account of the complex classification and nomenclature of german wines, an analysis of major changes in the production and labeling of mosel wines, and a discussion and. We offer smallgroup and bespoke guided wine tours in german wine regions. However, despite this high level of awareness in the wine world, the region is tiny and its 8,800 ha of vineyards pale in comparison to the 111,000 ha of bordeaux or even the 29,000 ha of burgundy. France, luxembourg the musel and germany the mosel. The cuisine of the moselle is diverse indigenous and international at the same time. Germanys premier wine mosel saarruwer produces some of the worlds best e check out our vast selection of these great wines. Mar 14, 2016 maximin grunhaus rejoining the vdp mosel gives the perfect opportunity to have a closer look at this centuryold institution. A travellers wine guide to germany travellers wine guides freddy price, janet price on. The mosel valley is home to more grapes than just riesling.
When lars worked for mosel wine merchant, he once reported on o. History of the riesling grape knowledgeable wine drinkers have always known that the riesling grape, grown in a few select places in germany, produces some of the finest wines available. Mosel s unique and unsurpassed combination of geography, geology and climate all combine together to make this true. Wines bottled before this time still reflect the old name, mosel saarruwer. In his trademark lively and opinionated prose, clarke takes readers on a grand tour of the great wine regions, explaining the flavors behind different wines and how to find the wine you want. Similar bottles, although brown, are used for riesling produced in the rhine region. In terms of quality, delicacy, charm, and style, the german riesling can compete with any wine produced in the world. It draws from its source in frances vosges mountains, continues through luxembourg, and snakes it way past dramatically steep, slate slopes until it empties into the rhine river at koblenz. This is an important fact in wine history, because the upper mosel was, therefore, not subject to archbishopelector of trier clemens wenceslauss socalled rieslingsedikt of 1787, which was a regulation to plant more riesling in the mosel region. Moselle wines are mainly white and are made in some of the coldest climates used for commercial winemaking. From the famed steep slopes of the mosel, where riesling reaches its. Piesporter is a wine made in and around the village of piesport on the north bank of the mosel wine region of germany.
The authors explain the geography of all the german winegrowing regions and. Despite this earthshattering change the wine region remains one of if not the finest terroirs for riesling in the world. This book is a practical guide to the wines of the mosel region, its villages, vineyards and wine estates. The upper mosel obermosel in germanhas a very long history of winegrowing. Between koblenz and the border to luxembourg lies germanys oldest wine region. The fully updated 2016 edition of the mosel visiting guide published by mosel fine wines is now available to subscribers november 20, 2015 vineyard revivals in the mosel a region. Nahe wine tours mittelrhein wine tours mosel wine tours pfalz wine tours.
Why and in what ways is mosel riesling different from riesling from the. The saar is a small wine region, with vineyards stretching from filzen, not far from where. Already the romans saw potential in the warm microclimate and nutrientrich soil. The mosel mozl, german for moselle, is an important european river some 320 miles long. With more than 6,400 wine growers cultivating 88 million vines across 10,400 ha of vin. Vdp mosel a grosser ring born out of the necessities of the 19th century. Mosel wines from germany javascript seems to be disabled in your browser. Experience our wines and wine culture while touring beautiful sites and historic monuments in rheingau, in rheinhessen, pfalz, and at the mosel and nahe river. No other crop could economically be grown on the steepest, finest vineyards, and many of the thousands of smallscale vine. There is always a weinfest going on somewhere in the region. This book is a good choise to learn about germany wines with history,terroir. The 10 best things to do in mosel wine region 2020 with. A wine produced in the mosel region that meets a minimum ripeness level is a qba.
Oct 14, 2010 in previous posts ive discussed german riesling in general as well as the many different styles and levels of sweetness available within german wine law. The wines of the region are among the lightest in germany usually containing less than 10 percent alcohol. The mosel river is the sinuous spine of the mosel region, changing direction so often as it flows northeast toward the rhine that it meanders nearly 250 km, to cover about half that distance as the crow flies. The middle mosel begins at the village of zell and extends south to just north of the village of schweich. Wine enthusiasts on a river cruise can enjoy a wine tasting in koblenz to sample the diversity of wines produced in the rhine region. A brief history of the wines of the upper mosel lars carlberg. There is a brief history of the estates along with phone numbers should you wish to. Formally, mosel, one of the thirteen german wine regions is formally known as mosel saarruwer, but this name was changed to the much shorter mosel because it was believed to be friendlier for the consumers. The mosel valley is a gorge the river carved between the hunsruck and the eifel, and the valleys of its tributaries, the saar and the ruwer. According to local tradition, in the mosel region the wine would then be bottled in tall, tapered, and green hock bottles. Mosels unique and unsurpassed combination of geography, geology and climate all combine together to make this true. Going on a road trip is one of the best ways to explore a region indepth. The vines which grow on the banks of the mosel moselle in french and its tributaries the saar and the ruwer constitute germanys third biggest wine region in terms of area, but arguably its most important in terms of international prestige and dependence on viticulture.
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