Drinks Atlas: Mosel Wine

Across 150 miles of serpentine twists, the Mosel River formed the valley that became the oldest wine region in Germany. “The region’s long history goes back to Roman times, but the various monks and monasteries of the Roman Catholic church played, as in Burgundy, a key role in the viticulture of the Mosel,” explains Lars Carlberg, author of Mosel Wine, a translation of the 1897 Moselwein by Karl Heinrich Koch. For centuries, the church was among the largest landowners in the region. Today, more than 8,500 hectares of planted vineyards are cultivated by nearly 5,000 wineries, with many of the smaller winemakers working with 5 hectares or less.

Divided into six recognized areas, the region stretches from the French border to the Mosel River’s confluence with the Rhine, including offshoots along the Saar and Ruwer rivers. But the area’s most recognizable trait is the dramatic slopes of the valley walls, where half of the region’s vineyards are planted on terraced sites with a slope of more than 30 degrees. While such steep viticulture requires cultivation almost solely by hand, it also contributes to the conditions that make the region’s wines so notable.

Mosel is Germany’s fifth-largest wine-growing region, but its outsized reputation is recognized the world over, particularly for its Riesling. “It’s a combination of the slate soils and cool climate,” says Carlberg, who also works in the vineyards and cellar for Hofgut Falkenstein, which makes traditional, dry Rieslings. “Mosel wine can be zippy, light, and refreshing, and a typical Mosel Riesling is floral, herbal, salty, and tangy. It should have a green tint and a light body.” While climate change is warming wine regions globally, Mosel included, the region’s northerly latitude continues to produce crisp, cool-climate wines. “With rising alcohol levels in various wine regions due to global warming, many wine drinkers are seeking wines with both low alcohol and good acidity,” notes Carlberg. “What better place than the Mosel?”

4 to Try

Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Kabinett

“Willi Schaefer is a small, family-owned estate in Graach, just down river from Bernkastel-Kues,” says Carlberg. “The steep Domprobst, which rises above the village, is arguably their top site. They are best known for their residually sweet Rieslings, including Kabinett wines [the lightest style of Riesling], and this is one of my favorites.” $49.99, leonandsonwine.com

Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Ellergrub Spätlese

“Weiser-Künstler is a husband-and-wife duo based in Traben-Trarbach,” Carlberg says. “Alexandra Künstler and Konstantin Weiser farm biodynamically and excel in various styles of Mosel Riesling, but are particularly adept at making Kabinett and Spätlese [a sweeter, late-harvest style] from their choice parcel of old vines on the steep, terraced Ellergrub vineyard in Enkirch.” $44.99, nyc.flatiron-wines.com

Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Kabinett Trocken

“Erich and Johannes Weber continue to make bright, bone-dry Saar Rieslings, even if their highest-rated wines tend to be more the off-dry ones,” Carlberg notes. “But die-hard Falkenstein fans also love their drywines [trocken]. The Webers are—first and foremost—hard workers and real farmers but also skilled at what they do. Their hands-off approach in the cellar is a lost art.” $33.98, vintagewinemerchants.com

Julien Renard Riesling

“Julien Renard is a relatively new winegrower to the Lower Mosel. After apprenticing at Heymann-Löwenstein and Knebel in Winningen, he eventually started his own winery in the same area,” says Carlberg. “He makes low-intervention, dry wines with a long élevage in cask.” $45, leonandsonwine.com