You’ll thank me later.
Talking about supreme quality and bad marketing. This is one of Germany’s most important wine regions around the river Moselle. And that wasn’t me, by the way, it was my realtor in the UK.
Could you bring me some Riesling from Moselle when you get back? Amazing wine. Their brand sucks.
Some realtor, UK
Start from Trier, this amazing town close to the borders with Luxembourg and France. Why amazing? In my experience, it’s one of the few places in Germany where you’re able to feel so much of the continent’s history around you. From Roman ruins, Catholic churches, and German philosophy of the 19th century to typical German bikers, beer drinkers, and ice cream shops. Plus your occasional “döner”. You almost can’t get more European than this.
From that point on, the task is easy: follow the Moselle till Koblenz. The river itself, the vineyards, the paths, the villages around you will fascinate you. Be creative, go with the flow. Stop when you sense it’s worth it, forget about your car or the train and hike, enter random wineries and do some tasting, walk around the tiny towns. I should still say “don’t drink and drive”, though. Because you will drink.
My two personal favourite towns on the river: Traben-Trarbach (deserves a visit for the name), and Cochem (pretty sure you’ve heard of this one before).
A short detour to visit Burg Eltz is not a bad idea, and do not underestimate Koblenz. Go straight to Deutsches Eck, the place where Moselle meets Europe’s darling, the Rhine.
And you’re done for the most part.
Okay, you can also start from Koblenz and end up in Trier. Just do it.
And some closing remarks.
In all of this, you’ll notice one thing: almost everything you’ll end up tasting will have something to do with wine – you name it. Wine mustard, wine jam, wine sauce, wine cake, wine cheese, wine soup. Simple wine becomes mundane in this context.
If you get there during the right season (early autumn), you’ll observe crowds of people hiking from one “refreshment point” (you might as well call it) to another, sipping gulping some drink with strange consistency, urgently needing a restroom every so often. Okay, the last part doesn’t happen to everyone but you have to be prepared if your stomach is not trained to “Federweisser”. Grab a bottle or two, bring them home, and consume them within the week. Your next chance will be in a year.
The Moselle Valley is truly stunning, and has great produce to offer. Do the unexpected: trade those Swiss vineyards for their German counterparts and you’ll be rewarded.
Images are my own.
I walk fast. 