Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese
Producer: egon-muller-scharzhof
Botrytis-laced Scharzhofberg Auslese of extraordinary concentration and near-immortal cellar life, among the world's great sweet wines.
Price: EUR 300 to 900 at retail
Germany's most dramatic wine landscape, where Riesling clings to blue and red slate slopes up to 70 degrees steep above the looping Mosel, Saar and Ruwer rivers.
Drink your way through Mosel
Map of Mosel
Every vineyard, tasting room, wine bar and cellar we cover in Mosel, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Signature wines of Mosel
The iconic bottles that define Mosel.
Scharzhofberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Producer: egon-muller-scharzhof
An intensely botrytised Scharzhofberg Trockenbeerenauslese of liqueur-like concentration, one of the rarest and most expensive white wines made.
Price: EUR 5000 to 15000 at retail
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese
Producer: joh-jos-pruem
A profound fruity-style Spatlese from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr that ages for decades into honeyed complexity.
Price: EUR 40 to 75 at retail
Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling GG
Producer: fritz-haag
The flagship dry Grosses Gewachs from the steep Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr, crystalline and intensely mineral.
Price: EUR 40 to 65 at retail
Saarburger Rausch Riesling GG
Producer: forstmeister-geltz-zilliken
The flagship dry Grosses Gewachs from the Saarburger Rausch, taut and deeply mineral with great racy length.
Price: EUR 45 to 75 at retail
Abtsberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs
Producer: maximin-gruenhaus
The flagship dry Grosses Gewachs from the Abtsberg monopole, finely structured with refined terroir aroma.
Price: EUR 40 to 70 at retail
Vineyards to know in Mosel
A handful of the estates we send friends to when they are in Mosel.
Weingut Joh. Jos. Prum
The most famous Riesling estate in Wehlen, known worldwide for long-lived, reductive, off-dry wines from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr. Family-run and dedicated entirely to Riesling on blue Devonian slate.
Weingut Dr. Loosen
Ernst Loosen's estate holds parcels of ungrafted old vines in many of the Mittelmosel's grand crus, from Wehlener Sonnenuhr to Erdener Pralat and the Bernkasteler Lay. A leading global ambassador for Mosel Riesling.
Weingut Fritz Haag
A benchmark estate on the south-facing Brauneberger Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenuhr, run by Oliver Haag. Crystalline, racy Rieslings with documented roots back to 1605.
Weingut Willi Schaefer
A tiny, revered grower in Graach producing precise, mineral Rieslings from the Domprobst and Himmelreich sites. Hand-worked steep slate, classic fruity Pradikat styles.
Weingut Selbach-Oster
A long-established family estate working steep parcels in Zeltingen, Wehlen, Graach and Bernkastel. Known for old-vine, hand-harvested Rieslings and characterful dry and off-dry bottlings.
Weingut Markus Molitor
An ambitious estate spanning the Mosel and Saar with one of the largest collections of top sites in the region, plus serious Mosel Pinot Noir. Famous for its star-coded labelling of dry, off-dry and sweet styles.
Sub-appellations of Mosel
Mittelmosel (Middle Mosel) (Mittelmosel/Middle Mosel/Mosel)
Slate cliffs, sundial vineyards and half-timbered wine villages strung along the river's tightest loops; the postcard Mosel.
Saar (Saar/Saar valley/Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
Quiet, cool side-valley of steely Riesling and the cathedral-like Scharzhofberg; the Mosel's most ageworthy wines.
Also: Saar valley
Ruwer (Ruwer/Ruwertal/Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
Monastic estates and feather-light Riesling in a hidden valley most visitors never reach.
Terrassenmosel (Lower Mosel) (Terrassenmosel/Lower Mosel/Untermosel)
Vertiginous dry-stone terraces and Europe's steepest vineyard, the Calmont; home of dry Mosel Riesling.
Obermosel (Upper Mosel) (Obermosel/Upper Mosel)
Limestone hills, ancient Elbling vines and quiet border villages; the Mosel's most overlooked corner.
Bernkastel-Kues (Bernkastel-Kues/Bernkastel/Berncastel)
Market square, medieval gables and the Doctor vineyard rising straight above the rooftops.
Mosel wine, FAQ
When is the best time to visit Mosel for wine?
Peak wine-travel season in Mosel is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
Do I need an appointment to taste at Mosel estates?
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
What hours do Mosel cellars and tasting rooms keep?
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
How does tipping work at Mosel tastings?
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
What is the one wine to try in Mosel?
If you only open one bottle, open Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese by egon-muller-scharzhof. It is the wine most associated with Mosel.