Mosel

Mosel: the home of Riesling

If Riesling has ever confused you, the Mosel is the cure. This is the reference point for the grape: wines grown on impossibly steep slate slopes above a winding river, low in alcohol, high in acid, and ranging from bone dry to honey sweet. Learn to read a Mosel label and Riesling stops being a guessing game.

The wines

Mosel Riesling is light, precise and intensely aromatic, with green apple, citrus and a wet-stone minerality. The sweetness scale runs from dry, marked Trocken, through Kabinett and Spätlese, to the rare and ageworthy sweet wines. Even the sweeter styles stay fresh thanks to the acidity.

Where to go

The river loops through villages like Bernkastel-Kues and Piesport, each with cellars and slate-roofed houses. The single most famous vineyard, the Bernkasteler Doctor, rises right behind the town, and the slopes are so steep they are worked almost by hand.

Eat

Local cooking leans to pork, potatoes and river fish, but the real move is pairing off-dry Riesling with spicy Thai or Indian food, where its sweetness and acid shine.

Getting there

Fly into Frankfurt or Luxembourg, then drive about two hours to the valley. A car or a river boat is the best way to hop between the riverside villages.