Mosel

The wine-growing region is located in Rhineland-Palatinate and a small part of Saarland in Germany. The Moselle river meanders 237 kilometres from Trier to Koblenz, but is only 96 kilometres as the crow flies. The vineyards cover 8,798 hectares of vines, stretching along the Moselle from its source in the Vosges mountains on the border with Luxembourg to its confluence with the Rhine near Koblenz, as well as along the two tributaries Saar and Ruwer. These three rivers gave the growing region its old name, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, which was valid until 2007.

The picture shows a view of the Moselle with the municipality of Bremm (Cochem Castle) from single vineyard Calmont.

Germany's oldest vineyards

The oldest vineyards in Germany are located on the upper Moselle. The Romans were already cultivating vines here in the 1st century BC and founded the city of Augusta Treverorum, today's Trier, in 15 BC. The remains of old Roman presses can still be seen in Piesport and Erden. The Neumagen wine ship is also a reminder of Roman wine culture. The two Roman poets Ausonius (310-395) and Venantius Fortunatus (530-610) described the beauty of the landscape during boat trips on the Moselle. In the Middle Ages, the Benedictine order owned many vineyards along the banks of the three rivers, as evidenced by the many individual vineyard names.

Real division under Napoleon

The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) enacted a law after occupying this region in 1807, the negative effects of which can still be felt today. In order to prevent large-scale land ownership, he decreed the "real division", by which land ownership was to be divided equally among all descendants in the event of inheritance. The result was a fragmentation into countless, often extremely small land units. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the former Electorate of Trier territory was incorporated into the Prussian state.

Prussian land classification

Subsequently, the royal government introduced various measures to improve the economic situation of Moselle winegrowers. These included the Prussian classification of vine yard sites, the founding of the winegrowers' association and the establishment of three winegrowing domains on the Moselle and Saar, which ushered in a heyday of Moselle viticulture. This continued the tradition of the great wine lover King Frederick the Great (1712-1786), who had a vineyard planted on the southern slope of the Klausberg in Park Sanssouci in Potsdam in 1769.

Climate & soil

The growing region is one of the warmer climate zones in Germany. Like all bodies of water, the Moselle has a positive effect or creates the conditions for this by forming valley slopes. Viticulture benefits from the ideal combination of steep, sun-drenched slopes, sun-reflecting slate soils and optimal rainfall. On some steep slopes, cultivation is only possible using special equipment and monorack tracks. Calmont is one of the steepest vineyards in the world with a gradient of up to 68°.

There are only slight temperature fluctuations. The climate is characterised by pleasantly warm summers and only moderately cold winters with hardly any frost. The soils consist of shell limestone and Keuper in the upper Moselle, and Devonian and dark clay slate in the middle and lower Moselle and in the Saar and Ruwer valleys. The slate stores the sun's heat during the day and releases it again at night, which makes for a mild climate. The vines are usually rooted metres deep in the soil or rock.

Areas, municipalities and sites

Many small winegrowers work the often terraced steep slopes with painstaking manual labour and deliver their grapes to large wineries. Mosel is divided into six areas with 19 large vineyards and 524 individual vineyards. The 242 kilometre-long Moselle Wine Route begins directly behind the German-French border in Perl, runs alongside the river and crosses it several times. It touches many famous wine-growing communities along the way and ends in Koblenz.

The German wine law allows the area name to appear on the label without the addition of "Bereich", provided there are no place names or single vineyard designations that could cause confusion. The winegrowers from the "Saar" had already practised this since the name change, but this was not possible for those on the "Ruwer". In 2019, vineyards with the part of the name "Ruwer" in the district of Trier-Ruwer that are no longer cultivated were deleted from the vineyard register, allowing them to be listed on the label.

Bernkastel (Middle Moselle)

The area Bernkastel or Mittelmosel (formerly Untermosel) forms the centrepiece with the most vineyards. It stretches from Briedel in the north upstream to the Moselle metropolis of Trier in the south over a length of around 50 kilometres. The Moselle flows through the area in ten relatively narrow loops. The large area covers almost 6,000 hectares of vineyards and is divided into ten large vineyards: Badstube, Kurfürstlay, Michelsberg, Münzlay, Nacktarsch, Schwarzlay, St. Michael, Probstberg, Römerlay and Vom heißen Stein.

The most famous Moselle communities and vineyards are located here. Bernkasteler Doctor is one of the most famous single vineyards in the area and also in Germany. It belongs to the renowned Großlage Badstube with (unusually) exclusively first-class sites. Most of the deep soils consist of dark blue, weathered Devonian slate, often with a high stone content; in the municipality of Ürzig there is also Rotliegendes (red sandstone). The best-known wine-growing communities with their individual vineyards:

• Avelsbach: Altenberg, Hammerstein, Herrenberg, Kupp, Rotlei
• BernkastelAlte Badstube am Doctorberg, Bratenhöfchen, Doctor, Graben, Johannisbrünnchen, Kardinalsberg, Lay, Matheisbildchen, Rosenberg, Schlossberg, Stephanus-Rosengärtchen, Weisenstein
• BraunebergJuffer, Juffer Sonnenuhr, Kammer, Klostergarten, Mandelgraben
• Briedel: Herzchen, Nonnengarten, Schäferlay, Schelm, Weisserberg
• Castles: Bischofstein, Hasenläufer, Kirchberg, Römerberg
• Detzem: Maximiner Klosterlay, Würzgarten
• Enkirch: Batterieberg, Edelberg, Ellergrub, Herrenberg, Monteneubel, Steffensberg, Weinkammer, Zeppwingert
• Erden: Bußlay, Herrenberg, Prälat, Treppchen (Herzlei)
• Graach: Abtsberg, Domprobst, Himmelreich, Josephshöfer
• Kesten: Herrenberg, Paulinsberg, Paulinshofberger
• Kinheim: Hubertuslay, Römerhang, Rosenberg
• Klotten: Brauneberg, Coreidelsteiner Castle, Rosenberg
• Klüsserath: Brotherhood
• Köwerich: Held, Laurentiuslay
• KrövBurglay, Herrenberg, Kirchlay, Letterlay, Paradies, Steffensberg
• Leiwen: monastery garden, Laurentiuslay
• Lieser: Niederberg-Helden, Rosenlay, Schlossberg, Süßenberg
• Longuich: Herrenberg, Hirschlay, Maximiner Herrenberg
• Lösnich: Burgberg, Försterlay
• Maring-Noviand: Honigberg, Klosterberg, Lambertuslay, Römerpfad, Sonnenuhr
• Mehring: Blattenberg (with Layet cadastral site ), Goldkupp, Zellerberg
• Mülheim: Amtgarten, Elisenberg, Helenenkloster, Sonnenlay
• Neumagen-DrohnEngelgrube, Großer Hengelberg, Häs'chen, Hofberger, Laudamusberg, Nußwingert, Rosengärtchen, Sonnenuhr
• Piesport: Domherr, Falkenberg, Gärtchen, Goldtröpfchen, Grafenberg, Günterslay, Hofberger, Kreuzwingert, Schubertslay, Treppchen
• Pölich: Held
• Pünderich: Goldlay, Marienburg, Nonnengarten, Rosenberg
• Reil: Falklay, Goldlay, Mullay-Hofberg, Sorentberg
• Thörnich: Enggaß, Ritsch, Schießlay
• Treis: Greth, Kapellenberg, Treppchen
• Trier: Altenberg, Andreasberg, Augenscheiner, Benediktinerberg, Burgberg, Deutschherrenberg, Deutschherrenköpfchen, Herrenberg, Jesuitenwingert, Kupp, Kurfürstenhofberg, Rotlei, St. Martiner Hofberg, St. Martiner Klosterberg, St. Matheiser, St. Maximiner Kreuzberg, St. Petrusberg, Thiergarten Felsköpfchen, Thiergarten Unterm Kreuz
• Traben-Trarbach: Burgberg, Gaispfad, Goldgrube, Hühnerberg, Klosterberg, Königsberg, Kräuterhaus, Kreuzberg, Schatzgarten, Schlossberg, Sonnenlay, Taubenhaus, Ungsberg, Würzgarten, Zollturm
• Trittenheim: Altärchen, pharmacy, Felsenkopf, Leiterchen
• Ürzig: Goldwingert, Würzgarten (Kranklei, sundial)
• Veldenz: Carlsberg, Elisenberg, Grafschafter Sonnenberg, Kirchberg, Mühlberg
• Wehlen: Abtei, Hofberg, Klosterberg, Nonnenberg, Rosenberg, Sonnenuhr
• Wintrich: Geierslay, Großer Herrgott, Ohligsberg, Stefanslay
• Wittlich: Bottchen, Felsentreppchen, Klosterweg, Kupp, Lay, Portnersberg, Rosenberg
• Wolf: Auf der Heide, Goldgrube, Schatzgarten, Sonnenlay, Klosterberg
• Zeltingen: Deutschherrenberg, Himmelreich, Schlossberg, sundial

Cochem Castle (Terrassenmosel)

The Burg Cochem area (formerly Zell) is also known as the Terrassenmosel (terra ced Moselle) due to its many terraced slopes. It stretches along the lower Moselle from Koblenz to Zell and is divided into five large vineyards: Goldbäumchen, Grafschaft, Rosenhang, Schwarze Katz and Weinhex. The landscape is characterised by many medieval castles. The vineyards cover around 1,500 hectares of vines. Some of the slopes are extremely steep, so that the vines can only be planted on narrow terraces secured by walls. One of the most famous is the aforementioned Calmont, which is also characterised by a special microclimate. The soils consist of clay and silty slate, often interspersed with limestone, quartzite or sandstone. Well-known wine-growing communities with their individual vineyards:

• Alf: Arrasburg-Schlossberg, Burggraf, Herrenberg, Hölle, Kapellenberg, Katzenkopf, Kronenberg
• Beilstein: Schlossberg, Silberberg
• Bremm: Abbey Klosterstuben, Calmont, Frauenberg, Laurentiusberg, Schlemmertröpfchen
• Bruttig-Fankel: Götterlay, Kapellenberg, Layenberg, Martinsborn, Pfarrgarten, Rathausberg, Rosenberg
• Bullay: Brautrock, Graf Beyßel Herrenberg, Kroneberg, Sonneck
• Burg: Schlossberg, Thomasberg, Wendelstück
• Cochem: Arzlay, Bischofsstuhl, Herrenberg, Hochlay, Klostergarten, Nikolausberg, Pinnerkreuzberg, Rosenberg, Schlossberg, Sonnenberg
• Ebernach: Bischofsstuhl, Klostergarten, Sonnenberg
• Ediger: Elzhofberg, Feuerberg, Osterlämmchen
• Eller: Bienenlay, Calmont, Engelströpfchen, Höll, Kapplay, Pfirsichgarten, Schützenlay, Stubener Klostersegen
• Ernst: Feuerberg, Kirchlay
• Hatzenport: Bischofstein Castle, Kirchberg, Stolzenberg
• Merl: Adler, Fettgarten, Klosterberg, Königslay-Terrassen, Sonneck, Stephansberg
• Mesenich: Abteiberg, Deuslay, Goldgrübchen
• Neef: Frauenberg, Petersberg, Rosenberg
• Pomerania: Goldberg, Rosenberg, Sonnenuhr, Zeisel
• Senheim: Bienengarten, Lay, Römerberg, Rosenberg, Rüberberger Domherrenberg, Vogteiberg, Wahrsager
• St. Aldegund: Himmelreich, Klosterkammer, Palmberg-Terrassen
• Valwig: Herrenberg, Palmberg, Schwarzenberg
• Winningen: Brückstück, Domgarten, Hamm, Röttgen, Uhlen
• Zell: Burglay-Felsen, Domherrenberg, Geisberg, Kreuzlay, Marienburger, Nußberg, Petersborn-Kabertchen, Pommerell, Römerquelle, Rosenborn

The Moselle loop with a view from single vineyard or the Calmont mountain. The municipality of Bremm lies to the right at the foot of the mountain, the municipality of Eller to the rear left and the municipality of Neef Burg Cochem in the centre.)

Upper Moselle (southern Weinmosel)

The Upper Moselle region is sometimes also referred to as the Southern Wine Moselle. It comprises around 670 hectares of vineyards south of Trier on the border with Luxembourg and is divided into two large vineyards, Gipfel and Königsberg. The rarely steep vineyards in wide valleys stretch from Perl to Wasserliesch. The predominant soils are not slate, but shell limestone, Keuper and marl. This is why the area is often compared to Champagne. A speciality is the ancient Elbling grape variety, from which sparkling wines are made. Well-known wine-growing communities with their individual vineyards are

• Fellerich: Schleidberg
• Helfant-Esingen: Kapellenberg
• Igel: Dullgärten
• Kreuzweiler: Castle Thorner Kupp
• Langsur: Brüderberg
• Liersberg: Pilgerberg
• Mesenich: Held
• Nittel: Blümchen, Hubertusberg, Leiterchen, Rochusfels
• Palzem: Carlsfelsen, Lay
• Rehlingen: Kapellenberg
• Wasserliesch: Albachtaler, Reinig on the castle
• Wellen: Altenberg
• Wincheringen: Warsberg Castle

Moselle Gate

The small Moseltor area on the upper Moselle was defined as a separate area because it is located in the federal state of Saarland. It comprises around 110 hectares of vineyards in the municipality of Perl with the single vineyard sites Hasenberg and St. Quiriniusberg (Großlage Schloss Bübinger).

Ruwertal

The large vineyard-free Ruwertal area was separated from the Saar area in 1998. The steep vineyards with only 200 hectares stretch for the most part on both sides of the Moselle tributary between Riveris and Trier-Ruwer. The favoured sites are located in side valleys of the Ruwer. Viticulture was already practised here in pre-Roman times, which is why the area is claimed to be the oldest German wine-growing region. The shallow to medium-textured soils are characterised by weathered, mostly blue or grey Devonian slate and have a high proportion of fine soil. At around 90%, the Riesling percentage here is the highest in the growing region. The average temperatures are somewhat lower than on the Moselle, which is why the wines are more acidic, as on the Saar. The wine-growing communities with their individual vineyards are

• Eitelsbach: Karthäuserhofberg, Marienholz
• Franzenheim: Johannisberg
• Kasel: Dominikanerberg, Herrenberg, Hitzlay, Kehrnagel, Nies'chen, Paulinsberg, Timpert
• Korlingen: Laykaul
• LorenzhofFelslay, Mäuerchen
• Maximin GrünhausAbtsberg, Bruderberg, Herrenberg
• Mertesdorf: Herrenberg, Johannisberg
• Morscheid: Dominikanerberg
• Riveris: Heiligenhäuschen, Kuhnchen
• Ruwer: Maximiner, Sonnenberg
• Sommerau: Schlossberg
• Trier: Karthäuserhofberg, Maximiner, Sonnenberg
• Waldrach: Doktorberg, Ehrenberg, Heiligenhäuschen, Hubertusberg, Jesuitengarten, Jungfernberg, Krone, Kurfürstenberg, Laurentiusberg, Meisenberg, Sonnenberg

Saar

The Saar area, named after the river, is divided into the Großlage Scharzberg with 22 individual vineyards. The name Großlage refers to the single vineyard Scharzhofberg. The area comprises around 730 hectares of vineyards, with around the same amount not currently under cultivation. It stretches from Filzen at the mouth of the Moselle on the Saar upstream to Serrig, as well as in the "Konzer Tälchen", a side valley of the Saar that branches off from Konz.

The soils are largely dominated by grey-blue Hunsrück slate of varying degrees of weathering and are interspersed with clayey brown earth. The vineyards are around 50 to 100 metres higher and the average temperatures are somewhat lower than on the Moselle. The resulting delayed ripening process of the grapes is one of the reasons why the Riesling wines here are somewhat more acidic. The municipalities with their individual vineyards are

• Ayl: Herrenberger, Kupp, Scheidterberg
• Falkenstein: Hofberg
• Filzen: Herrenberg, Liebfrauenberg, Pulchen, Steinberger, Unterberg, Urbelt
• Irsch: Sonnenberg
• Kanzem: Altenberg, Hörecker, Schlossberg, Sonnenberg
• Kastel-Staadt: König-Johann-Berg, Maximiner Prälat
• Konz: Auf der Wiltinger Kupp, Euchariusberg, Karthäuser Klosterberg
• Könen: Fels, Kirchberg
• Krettnach: Altenberg, Euchariusberg
• Niederleuken: Fuchs
• Niedermennig: Euchariusberg, Herrenberg, Sonnenberg
• Oberemmel: Agritiusberg, Altenberg, Hütte, Karlsberg, Raul, Rosenberg
• Ockfen: Bockstein, Geisberg
• Pellingen: Herrgottsrock, Jesuitengarten
• Saarburg: Antoniusbrunnen, Bergschlösschen, Fuchs, Klosterberg, Kupp, Laurentiusberg, Rausch, Schlossberg, Stirn
• Schoden: Geisberg, Herrenberg, Saarfeilser Marienberg
• Serrig: Antoniusberg, Heiligenborn, Herrenberg, Hoepslei, König-Johann-Berg, Kupp, Schloss Saarfelser Schlossberg, Schloss Saarsteiner, Vogelsang, Würtzberg
• Wawern: Goldberg, Herrenberger, Jesuitenberg, Ritterpfad
• Wiltingen: Braune Kupp, Braunfels, Gottesfuß, Hölle, Klosterberg, Kupp, Rosenberg, Sandberg, Scharzhofberg, Schlangengraben, Schlossberg

Grape variety index

There were no major changes compared to 2009. The proportion of white wine grapes is the highest of all 13 growing regions at over 90% (followed by the Rheingau with 85%). Riesling clearly dominates with almost two thirds of the total area. The rising stars were Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The 2018 status (0 = less than 0.5 hectares):

Producers

Well-known producers in the Moselle growing region include Agritiushof, A. J. Adam, Amlinger & Sohn, Bastgen, Bauer Jörg, Becker-Steinhauer, Bernkasteler Ring, Berres, Berweiler-Merges, Bischöfliche Weingüter Trier, Blees-Ferber, Boendgen, Brohl Frank, Böcking Richard, Busch Clemens, Carl Loewen, Caspari-Kappel, Clüsserath Ansgar, Clüsserath-Eifel, Clüsserath Ernst, Clüsserath-Hilt, Clüsserath-Weiler, Dax, Deutschherrenhof, Dienhart Timo, Dr. Fischer, Dr F. Weins-Prüm, Dr Heinz Wagner, Dr Hermann, Dr Leimbrock - C. Schmidt, Dr Loosen, Dr Pauly-Bergweiler, Egon Müller-Scharzhof, Eifel Bernhard, Eifel Christoph, Eifel Franz-Josef, Erben von Beulwitz, Erbes Karl, Fendt Weinfamilie, Fischer Stephan, Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken, Franzen Michael, Franzen Reinhold, Freiherr von Heddesdorff, Freiherr von Schleinitz, Frieden-Berg, Friedrich-Kern, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium, Fries Reiner, Fuchs Reinhold, Gebr,

Geheimrat J. Wegeler Erben, Gietzen Albrecht, Gorges-Müller, Grans-Fassian, Großer Ring VDP Mosel, Haag Fritz, Haag Willi, Haart Johann, Haart Reinhold, Hain Kurt, Heymann-Löwenstein, Hövel, Hubertushof, Immich-Batterieberg, Jakoby-Mathy, Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben, Jos. Christoffel jr, Kallfelz, Kanzlerhof, Karlsmühle, Karthäuserhof, Kees-Kieren, Kerpen, Kettern Lothar, Kiebel Benedikt, K. J. Thul, Klein Louis, Knebel Beate, Knodt-Trossen, König Johann, Kranz-Junk, Kröber Rüdiger, Lauer Peter, Laurentiushof, Lehnert-Veit, Loersch-Eifel, Lorenz Nikolaus, Losen-Bockstanz, Lotz Klaus, Lubentiushof, Martin Conrad - Brauneberger Hof, Max Ferd. Richter, Maximin Grünhaus - Weingut der Familie von Schubert, Mertes Johann Peter, Milz Josef, Molitor, Mönchhof Robert Eymael, Mosel 2000, Müllen Martin,

Nik Weis - St. Urbans-Hof, Norwig, Othegraven, Paulinshof, Pauly Rudolf, Philipps-Eckstein, Prüm, Joh. Jos . Prüm, Reh Winfried, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Reinert, Resch Hans, Reuscher-Haart, Reverchon, Richter Richard, Römerhof, Roth Andreas, Schaefer Willi, Schloss Lieser, Schloss Saarstein, Schmitges, Schmitt Heinz, Schneiders Moritz, Schömann Martin, Schumacher Joachim, Schunk Paul, Schwaab Albert, Selbach-Oster, Später-Veit, Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Trier, Staffelter Hof, St. Anna, Steffens Ernst, Steinmetz Günther, St. Nikolaus-Hof, Stoffel Alfons, Studert-Prüm, Thanisch Ludwig, Van Volxem, Vereinigte Hospitien, Vornhecke Stefanie, Weinhof Herrenberg, Willems-Willems, Wwe. Dr H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef, Wwe. Dr H. Thanisch Erben Thanisch and Zenzen Ewald.