Savour Moselle wine

Wine is closely linked to the Roman heritage on the Moselle. Roman wine presses and villas bear witness to the great wine-growing tradition. The Moselle with the Saar and Ruwer is considered the oldest wine region in Germany. Wine was already in great demand in ancient Rome. It is an integral part of religion and mythology. Time has not diminished its high status. On the contrary, it is still in great demand today and is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Immerse yourself in our timeline with the most important events in the history of wine.

Moselle wine has many facets! Did you know that, in addition to the different grape varieties, the vineyards and the work of the winemaker also have an influence on the flavour of the wine? Or when a wine is classified as a Kabinettwein or Spätlese? Our little wine encyclopaedia answers these questions and much more. Test your wine knowledge!

How big is the Moselle wine-growing region?
The Moselle is one of 13 wine-growing regions in Germany. What was called “Mosel-Saar-Ruwer” in the wine law of 1909 has been united under the term “MOSEL” since the wine law amendment of 9 August 2006. The region is made up of 19 large vineyards with 520 individual vineyards, in which a total of around 60 million vines are planted. The most important grape variety on the Moselle is Riesling. Müller-Thrugau, Elbling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are also cultivated. Among the red wines, Pinot Noir and Dornfelder are cultivated. As around 3,500 hectares of vineyards are located on steep slopes, the Moselle is actually the largest steep-slope wine-growing region in the world.

Where is the Bernkastel wine-growing area located in the Moselle wine-growing region?
The MOSEL wine-growing region is divided into 6 areas: Moseltor, Obermosel, Saar, Ruwer, Bernkastel and Burg Cochem. The Bernkastel area stretches from Trier to Briedel and is the largest area of the wine-growing region with over 5,600 hectares of vineyards. Famous vineyards and wine villages are lined up here. The 2000-year-old history of winegrowing is visible everywhere, from the Roman city of Trier and the oldest wine village of Neumagen-Dhron to the Art Nouveau town of Traben-Trarbach.
The geology consists mainly of dark Devonian slate, but also terasse sediments, red sandstone, red slate and rhyolite. Vines grow on these mineral soils, with the Riesling variety dominating the Bernkastel area with 67%, followed by Müller-Thurgau (12%) and Pinot Noir (4%).

Which vineyards are there in the Bernkastel-Kues holiday region?
In the Bernkastel-Kues holiday region there are a total of 5 large vineyards: Münzlay, Badstube, Kurfürstlay, Schwarzlay and Michelsberg. These 5 large vineyards are in turn subdivided into 76 small vineyards. These include some very well-known and renowned vineyards, such as the Bernkasteler Doctor, the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and many more. Each site has individual components such as slope inclination, geology, etc. and thus decisively shapes the character of the wines that come from it.

What grape varieties are there on the Moselle?
The Bernkastel-Kues holiday region is home to the queen of the vines, Riesling. And it has a long tradition dating back to Roman times. The Romans introduced the cultivation of vines to the Moselle valley 2000 years ago. Today, however, Moselle winegrowers not only press the fruity and noble sweet Riesling wine that once made German wine famous throughout the world. They also cultivate dry Riesling, Elbling, Rivaner, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris as well as some red wines such as Pinot Noir and Dornfelder.

What do wine quality grades such as German wine, regional wine, quality wine and Prädikat wine mean?
The most important of the legally prescribed information on the wine label is the quality class of a wine. This categorisation guarantees legally prescribed minimum standards. These standards relate to the origin, initial must weight and ingredients of the wine.

Wine is categorised into three quality levels: German wine, country wine and quality and predicate wine.

• German wine consists of 100% grapes from German vineyards. It has a minimum alcohol content of 5% and a total alcohol content of at least 8.5% and a maximum of 15%.
• Landwein is a wine with a protected geographical indication. 85% of the grapes must come from the designated region. Land wines are dry wines and the natural alcohol content must be at least 0.5% higher than that of German wine.
• Quality and Prädikat wines form the largest group of German wines and have a protected designation of origin. These types of wines consist of 100% grapes from one growing region. The minimum alcohol content must be 7% for quality wines and 5.5% for Prädikat wines. Can Prädikat wines be subdivided even further? Yes. The next question clarifies how.

Wie unterscheiden sich Kabinettweine, Spätlesen und Auslesen?
Für Prädikatsweine gelten zusätzliche Anforderungen. Sie dürfen nicht angereichert werden oder mit Eichenholzstückchen behandelt werden. Zudem darf keine Entalkoholisierung vorgenommen werden. Sie werden in fünf weitere Stufen untergliedert.
Die erste Stufe ist der Kabinett, dann folgen Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein und die höchste Stufe ist die Trockenbeerenauslese.

• Kabinettweine: Leichte Weine aus reifen Trauben. Die Weine zeichnen sich durch einen geringen Alkoholgehalt und eine frische Säurestruktur aus.
• Spätlesen: Gehaltvolle Weine aus hochreifen Trauben. Die Trauben werden erst nach der allgemeinen Weinlese geerntet und die Trauben müssen beim Mostgewicht einen Mindestwert überschreiten. Spätlesen sind nicht immer liebliche Weine. Sie können auch trocken ausgebaut werden.
• Auslesen: Werden aus vollreifen Trauben gekeltert. Unreife und kranke Beeren werden "ausgelesen", also aussortiert.
• Beerenauslesen: Volle, fruchtige Weine. Diese Raritäten werden aus überreifen oder edelfaulen Beeren gekeltert. Sie zeichnen sich durch eine hohe Fruchtsüße aus.
• Eiswein: Wird aus Trauben, die nur in gefrorenem Zustand bei unter minus 7 Grad Celsius gelesen und gekeltert werden, hergestellt. Es wird nur der natürlich konzentrierte Saft ausgepresst.
• Trockenbeerenauslesen: Hochkonzentrierte Weine. Diese Raritäten werden aus rosinenartig eingeschrumpften, edelfaulen Beeren gekeltert.

What is a dry wine and what is a sweet wine?
Dry, semi-dry or perhaps sweet? Every wine drinker has their own preferences. But what exactly do these terms, which are usually written on the front of the bottle label, mean?

• Dry: Residual sugar content of maximum 4 g/l or maximum 9 g/l, whereby the residual sugar content may only be 2 g/l higher than the total acidity.
• Semi-dry: residual sugar content of 12 g/l to a maximum of 18 g/l and the residual sugar content may then be a maximum of 10 g/l higher than the acidity. You can taste the slight residual sweetness. If the acidity is high, the wine can also taste dry, whereas if it is low, it tastes rather sweet.
• sweet: Residual sugar content that exceeds the values specified for semi-dry, but does not exceed 45 g/litre. The wine then tastes significantly “sweeter”.
• sweet: Residual sugar content of more than 45 g/litre. The flavour of sugar or other sweet wine ingredients is very prominent.
• feinherb: a flavour designation that is not defined in wine law. Semi-dry to sweet wines are usually labelled “feinherb”.

What is a dry sparkling wine and what does the term “brut” mean?
Sparkling wine and wine do not have the same nomenclature. A dry sparkling wine tastes rather sweet. But where does that come from? Due to the carbon dioxide in sparkling wine, we perceive the ‘sweet’ flavour less strongly. This is why the residual sugar limits and the nomenclature are different for sparkling wine.

• brut nature: is the driest variant with a maximum of 3 g/l residual sugar, also known as “brut zéro” in French.
• extra brut: sparkling wine with a maximum of 6 g/l residual sugar.
• brut or tart: the residual sugar content is a maximum of 12 g/litre.
• extra dry: the residual sugar content is between 12 and 17 g/litre. In French it is called “très sec” and the English say “extra dry”.
• dry: the residual sugar content is between 17 and 32 g/l residual sugar content. In France it is called “sec.”, in England “dry” and in Italy “secco asciutto”.
• Semi-dry: the residual sugar content is between 32 and 50 g/litre. French “demi-sec.”, English: “medium dry” and Italian “abboccato”.
• mild, doux, sweet or dolce: sparkling wine with a residual sugar content of over 50 g/l.

What is “Federweißer”?
“Federweißer” is a young wine that is drunk halfway from grape juice to wine. Sweetness, alcohol and fruit acidity are then well balanced. During fermentation, the natural sugar in the freshly pressed grape juice slowly escapes as carbon dioxide. This bubbles in the glass and it looks as if little feathers are dancing. This is where the sweet drink gets its name from. Federweißer is also known as “Bitzler”, “Rauscher” or “Sauser”.
Due to its low alcohol content of around 5% by volume, it is very drinkable and Mosel locals particularly like to enjoy it with a slice of onion tart.
The fresh “Federweißer” is available from the beginning of September to the end of October, depending on the start of the grape harvest.

What does the term "Mosel Terroir" mean?
The factors soil, climate and winegrower are responsible for the terroir. This means that the small-scale climate and the soil have an influence on the characteristics of the wine. Added to this are the measures taken by the winegrower: from the choice of grape variety to the work in the cellar. If one of these factors changes, it has a significant influence on the quality and flavour of the wine.

What does the term Mosel terroir mean?
The factors soil, climate and winegrower are responsible for the terroir. This means that the small-scale climate and the soil have an influence on the characteristics of the wine. Added to this are the measures taken by the winegrower: from the choice of grape variety to the work in the cellar. If one of these factors changes, it has a significant influence on the quality and flavour of the wine.

What does a winemaker's wine year look like?

Spring
As the sun is now higher in the sky, the soil and vines warm up and work begins in the vineyard. The vines are repaired and replanted and new vines are also planted. Vine training, i.e. pruning the vines, bending, aligning and fixing, takes place, the vines are fertilised, bud pests are collected, the soil is worked and a stock check is carried out. Foliage work is carried out and the shoots are stapled and tied up.
In the wine cellar, the previous year's wine is filtered and prepared for bottling. The bottles are then filled and stored. There are also marketing and sales tasks as well as administrative work.

Summer
Over the course of the summer, the berries grow until they finally reach their full size. They ripen and begin to change colour. In the vineyard, it is mainly foliage work that needs to be done. The shoots are corrected, tied up or defoliated. But work is also carried out to protect the plants, maintain the greenery and work on the soil.
In addition, there is administrative work and the sale of wines, and marketing measures are carried out.

Autumn
The berries continue to ripen slowly and the highlight of the year is slowly approaching: the grape harvest. In addition to soil work, the stock is checked. The grapes must now be protected against damage by game and birds. Early varieties are harvested in September, followed later by Riesling and Burgundy. In the cellar, everything is prepared for the grape harvest. After the harvest, the grapes have to be processed immediately. They are crushed, the grape stems are separated from the berries and then the grapes are pressed. The resulting must must be pre-clarified. The wine must also be deacidified and fermented.

Winter
In winter, the vine ‘sleeps’ and does not freeze to death even at very low temperatures. Less work is done in the vineyard, such as pruning, repairing and replanting vines, and organic fertilisation is carried out. Winegrowers can now be found in the cellar more often. There they devote themselves entirely to checking the young wines. The wines are then filtered and later sold. In addition to administrative work, there is also marketing work to be done.