The Moselle is Germany's best-known wine region, home to n top wineries such as Weingut Egon Muller Scharzhof and Weingut Joh. Jos. Prum) and Weingut Fritz Haag, among others. The world-renowned wine-searcher website Wine-Searcher lists 8 of Germany's 10 most expensive wines from the Moselle, showing the status of the appellation. The Moselle has 6 sub-appellations and 524 single gardens, of which these 524 single gardens form 19 vineyard groups (Grosslage) depending on the geographical proximity and similar style.
The Moselle is recognized as one of the best white wine regions in Germany in the world, and was known as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer until August 1, 2007, and was later changed to Mosel for the sake of consumer memory and international image. The Moselle appellation contains 6 sub-appellations, which are followed by a separate introduction to the characteristics of each sub-appellation and the well-known vineyards.
1. Cochem
Cochem is located in the Lower Mosel region, the soil is mainly clayey slate and hard sandstone, the overall quality of the wine is very ordinary, there is no surprise, but in recent years it has gradually produced some of the better wines. Cochem has 5 vineyard groups and produces wines in different styles.
(1) Winchz Vineyard Group
The vineyards of the Weinhex vineyard group are located on steep slopes, and almost all of them are planted with Riesling grapes. The wines produced in this vineyard group are also of excellent quality, with strong aromas, full bodies and rich layers, most notably the Ublen and Rottgen gardens in Winningen.
Representative wine: Heymann Lowenstein winningen Uhlen R Roth Lay Riesling.
(2) Schwarzer Katetz Vineyard Group
The top wine labels in the Schwarze Katz group are painted with pictures of black cats. In 1863, three merchants from out of town came to Zell to buy the original wine, and after tasting it, they did not make up their minds which one to buy, and when the winery opened a new barrel of wine, the black cat carried by the merchant ran to the back of the oak barrel and hissed, and the merchant thought that the black cat had found the best wine, so he decided to buy it. This story has been widely circulated, and many top wineries have drawn pictures of black cats on wine labels, so that the tradition has been preserved to this day.
The vineyards of the Schwarzer Katetz Vineyard Group are mostly located on slopes, and the wines produced are aromatic, delicate and elegant, and the overall quality is high.
(3) Lusenhanger Vineyard Group
The Rosenhang Vineyard Group, located downstream of the Schwarzer Katetz Vineyard Group, produces wines of more modest quality but with great potential and is a rising star.
(4) GrafShaft Vineyard Group
The Grafschaft vineyard group produces some very fine wines, most notably the Frauenberg single garden in Neef. The villages of Alf and Bullay also produce some excellent wines. Graf Schafft Vineyard Group wines with fruity aromas such as lemon, full bodies, low alcohol levels and complex layers.
Representative wines: Weingut Walter J. Oster Neefer Frauenberg Riesling Beerenauslese from the Freunberg Garden of Auster.
(5) Golden Cup Vineyard Group
Gold Baumchen wines are of average quality, with few exceptional villages and single gardens, and only Eller produces some slightly superior wines.
2. Berncaster
Located on the right bank of the Moselle River, Bernkastel is the heart of the Central Moselle region and the top wine-growing region in Germany. The vineyards are located on steep slopes, the soil is dominated by gray slate, the vineyards are very hot in the middle of summer afternoons, and the trees above the vineyards make the night air colder, resulting in a dramatic day and night temperature difference, so that the wines produced have a refreshing acidity and fresh aromas. Berncaster has 9 well-known vineyard groups, each with a small difference in wine style.
(1) Bastu Vineyard Group
Badstube is the largest vineyard group in Germany and produces Riesling wines of extremely high quality, producing some great wines even in bad vintages. Most of the Riesling wines produced by the Bastu Vineyard Group are of the Kabinett level or above, with the Village of Bernkastel in the Doctor's Garden, alte Badstube am Doctorberg, Bratenhofchen, Matheisbildchen, Lay and Graben A single vineyard is most famous.
Representative wines: Winemaking Riesling noble wines (Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Beerenauslese）。
(2) Cofree Vineyard Group
A small number of vineyards in the Kurfurstlay group are located in the village of Bernkast, most of which are located in the village of Brauneberg. The best vineyards are located on the hillside opposite the town of Braunenberg, mostly to the southeast or south, and produce wines that are extremely full and round, comparable in quality to the Dr. Single Garden. The overall quality of the vineyard group is almost the same, with the Village of Brunneberg in Juffer, Juffer-Sonnenuhr, Mandelgraben, Niederberg Helden in Lieser, Helenenkloster and Obligsberg in the village of Lieser The single garden is the most famous. Among them, Helen kloster Garden was once called "one of the best vineyards in Germany for ice wine" by the World Wine Map.
Representative wines: Weingut Max Ferd Richter Brauneberg Juffer Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Max Ferd Richter Mulheimer Helenenkloster Riesling Eiswein.
(3) Michelle Hill Vineyard Group
Most of the vineyards of the Michelsberg Vineyard Group are not located on steep slopes, but on flat land of alluvial soil, where the soil fertility is stronger, the wine produced is thin, does not have much characteristics, and is of more ordinary quality, usually known for "high yield". Nowadays, fewer winemakers are willing to label high-quality wines as part of the Michel Hill Vineyard Group, as this will reduce the reputation of these excellent wines.
The Michel Hill Vineyards group also has 4 good single gardens that produce some of the better quality wines, namely Domberr in Piesport, Glodtropfchen, Treppchen and Apotheke in Trittenheim.
Representative wines: Grans-Fassian Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Auslese.
(4) Mulayer Vineyard Group
The Munzlay vineyards are located in 3 villages: Graach, Wehlen and Zeltingen. The Moulayer Vineyard Group wines have both the fame of the village of Berncaster and the popularity of the village of Pisport, with many really top vineyards and some older estates such as Weingut Joh. Jos. Prum) and Dr. Russen Winery Loosen), etc.
The many top vineyards of the Moulayer Vineyard Group are most famous for the four single gardens of Sonnenuhr, Domprobst, Himmelreich and Josephsbof, which produce wines with extremely strong aromas and complex tastes, which are the benchmark of the Moselle appellation. The Corona Garden is also known as "one of the best icewine and noble wine vineyards in Germany".
Representative wines: Riesling wines selected from the Sundial Garden of Château Puran ( Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ) 。
(5) Schwarleyer Vineyard Group
The Schwarzlay vineyards are located on the slopes of the cliffs and produce wines that are rich and thick, with lively acidity, a wonderful and delicate structure, complex and varied layers, and the overall quality is very high.
The schwarleyer vineyard group is known for its single gardens in Erden and Urzig, with the six most famous being the Spice Garden (Wurzgarten), Schlossberg, Treppchen, Batterieberg, Wendelstuck and Goldgrube.
Representative wines: Selected Riesling wines from the Russen Winery Spice Garden (Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese）。
(6) St. Michel Vineyard Group
St. Michael's Vineyard Group Michael's vineyards are located in 3 villages, Klusserath, Leiwen and Mehring. The wines of The Village of Kurus are more popular, but the quality is a bit unworthy of the name; the wines of the Village of Lewin are of excellent quality and are increasingly reproducing their former glory; and the wines of Merlin Village have great potential.
Most of the excellent wines of the Saint-Michel Vineyards group come from steep slopes facing southwest, where the sun is the most abundant and the grapes ripen best, most notably the four single gardens of Klostergarten, Laurentiuslay, Bruderschaft and Blattenberg.
Representative wines: Weingut St. Urbans-Hof Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese from the Laurent sleye Garden of St. Euhov.
(7) Watheisson Vineyard Group
The Vom Heissen Stein Vineyard Group is mainly located in the village of Punderich, most famously Marienburg. The rich and diverse slate and microclimate of Massinbo garden make the wines produced in a variety of styles, which can be made into rich dry white wines with spicy and rich mineral flavors, and are more suitable for making full and thick sweet wines.
Representative wines: Weingut Clemens Busch Marienburg Riesling Grosses Gewachs.
(8) Naktasch Vineyard Group
The Nacktarsch vineyard group is famous for its distinctive label, which depicts children being beaten naked, a self-deprecating way for germans, because in autumn the vineyard group becomes bare. One of the wineries drew their own wine labels into the above pattern, which became a hit, and later other wineries followed suit. So far, this wine label has become a feature and a favorite of collectors.
The wines produced by the Naktasch Vineyard Group are of better quality, but there is no particularly outstanding single garden, and the whole style is more floral and fruity, with mineral flavors and lively acidity.
(9) Pabasburg Vineyard Group
The Probstberg, bernkat's least known vineyard group, does not have a particularly outstanding single garden and produces wines of relatively average quality.
3. Ruhr
Ruwertal's vineyards are small and for a long time the wines produced were too light and with sharp acidity, but now more and more top-quality wines are being produced here. Today, it produces delicate and elegant German white wines. There is only 1 vineyard group in the appellation, the Romerlay vineyard group. The top vineyards of the Rumle Vineyard Group are located in these three villages: Kasel, Mertesdorf and Eitelsbach.
The village of Kassel also produces some very fine wines in hot weather conditions, most notably the Kebrnagel and Nieschen single gardens. Meltsdorf is best known for its Karlsmuhle single garden, where the wines produced are astonishing and exquisite in body. Italsbach is the finest of the Karthauserhofberg single garden, which has been producing top-notch wines to this day.
Representative wines: Karlsmuhle Kaseler Nieschen Riesling Auslese at Château Kaselle.
4. Sal
The Saar vineyards are located on steep slopes, and unlike the central Region of the Moselle, many of the vineyards here are unobstructed against the cold east wind, and in many wines, you can also drink the feeling of the cold wind. The Sal soil is slate and is mainly grown with Riesling grape varieties. All the characteristics of Moselle Riesling wines can be maximally reflected in sal, such as the freshness and crispness of apples and lemons, the sweet aroma of honey, and the firmer and cooler quality of the wine.
Saar has only 1 vineyard group: the Scharzberg vineyard group. Due to the colder climate, grapes often take longer to ripen, resulting in more wines above the Collector's Level. The vineyards of this group are located in 8 villages and are mostly owned by top wineries, the most famous of which is the German wine king "Egon-Müller".
Representative wines: Egon Muller Scharzhof Scharzhofer Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese.
5. Upper Moselle district
Obermosel is parallel to the Luxembourg border, the soil is mainly crustal limestone, and the Riesling wine produced is often outstanding in acidity and weak in body, so the grapes in the Upper Moselle region are mainly made into Sket sparkling wine. The appellation has 2 vineyard groups, Gipfel and Konigsberg, but both are of more ordinary quality and do not have a single garden with particular prominence.
6. Entrance to the Moselle
The Entrance to Moseltor is located at the highest reaches of the Moselle River, where the waters of the Vosges Mountains flow to Germany, but the wines produced are usually lighter, with outstanding acidity and overall low quality. The Moselle entrance currently has only 1 vineyard group, the Schloss Bubinger.
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