![]() I’ll state my bias here: this is, far and away, my favorite German region because of the aromatics, the acidity, and the complexity of the wines. Not much has changed here since the Romans started vineyards in the 2 nd century AD, except winemaking has gotten better and better. Expect these wines to be light in color, light to medium in body, super aromatic - floral, honeyed, citrusy and peach with petrol (gas station!) notes too - with a touch of spritz and a tooth-enamel stripping acidity that often requires the winemaker to add a touch of sugar back in the form of unfermented grape juice from the same vineyard, to balance out the tartness. The coveted slate topsoil washes down the slopes during the rainy season and vineyard workers spend time in the spring retrieving slate pieces to lay back on the vines, since they believe it imparts flavor.Īs you can imagine, hand-harvesting is necessary, a practice that is much easier on the grapes and usually results in clean, pure flavors – which is the hallmark of Mosel Riesling. The top vineyards are on steep, south-facing hillsides that reach a 70% gradient. The best sites are on the twisty-turny Mosel River and on its smaller tributaries, the Saar and Ruwer (the region used to be called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer but that was a mouthful so now it’s just Mosel). The most famous of all German wine regions, this cool area has a continental climate and is near the border of France and Luxembourg. Peachy, honeyed, floral, citrusy wines with a little petrol note (gasoline), spritz, and high, sharp acidity. Mostly off-dry Rieslings grown on incredibly steep slopes in slate soils. Known for: Being the most famed Riesling region in the world. I’ll follow this up with a giant round-up post of Rieslings and other German wines that you can seek out, if this piques your interest and you want to try typical styles. Although I’ve done this before in a review post, I think it’s time to do a summary post on some of the major German regions and what they are best known for without any reviews to complicate matters. WINE MAPS GERMANY FREENow, in your head you’re saying, “yeah, of course free wine tastes awesome!” But I gotta tell you, it’s not always true! And because of the repeated exposure to styles of the major regions of Germany, I have learned so much about the country, its climate, the differences between regions, and the styles that are typical of each place. I have been incredibly fortunate in that nearly all the wines they send are top quality. Call me a traditionalist, but I love to drink wine from the home of this noble grape: Germany.Ī few years ago my love of German Riesling led me to hook up with Wines of Germany, an information and PR organization, that has a quarterly press send of wines from top producers. I love the grape and find it fascinating in all its incarnations. If it’s the vineyards and wine tasting that you’re interested in, look out for signposts with a bunch of grapes or a wine jug.I drink a ton of Riesling. Schweigen-Rechtenbach – German Wine Gate.Also an attraction is the Gothic church surrounded by fortifications Dorrenbach – The half-timbered town hall is this small town’s main attraction.This town also has some interesting Renaissance remains such as the Gasthaus zum Engel or Angel’s Inn Bad Bergzabern – The royal castle and Petronella spa are attractions.Wall paintings by the artist can still be seen here Leinsweiler – Its hilltop Hof Neukastel was once home of Max Slevogt, a German impressionist artist.Trifels – The ruined castle here once served as a prison for important prisoners, including Richard the Lionheart, King of England.Landau also has many cafes and restaurants and is a good place for a stop Landau – See the remains of the fortress and the beautiful post-Augustinian church.This fortress was famous for the Hambacher Fest during which students protested against the fragmentation of Germany Only a ruin remains of this vast hilltop fortress. Neustadt an der Weinstraße – A beautiful old town centre with a market square surrounded by many half-timbered houses.Deidesheim – See its historic town hall.Wachenheim – Check out Wachtenburg castle.This spa town also has many cafes and wine bars and is a good place to have a break. ![]()
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