Discover Germany
October 10, 2011
The last stretch of the Moselle River before it flows into the Rhine in Koblenz passes through the Rhineland's Rhenish Slate Mountains, watering a picture-book landscape. Its silver band winds in picturesque loops through a green valley. To the right and left, villages lie along its riverbank, watched over by romantic castles and steep vineyard-covered slopes.
Top-quality Riesling grapes thrive here. Even before the term "terroir" became fashionable among wine connoisseurs, the vintners here were aware of the importance of climate, location, and soil. The mineral composition of the soil varies, so that wine tastes are strongly influenced by even small differences in location.
The Romans brought wine cultivation to the Moselle region more than 2,000 years ago. In Trier, the Porta Nigra - a black, weathered, stone gate to the city - still testifies to the Roman era. In the state museum, the grave of a Roman wine dealer shows that Moselle wine was already in demand in ancient times.
Today, visitors from all over the world come to the wine festivals here, especially in the autumn, to pay homage to Bacchus, the god of wine. At Piesport's Roman wine-pressing festival, Bacchus makes a personal appearance every year.
Click on the video below to get to know the Moselle region and its wines.
Text: DW-TV
Editor: Kate Bowen