Mosel Wine Guide: Grapes, Appellations & Producers

The heart of the Mosel

Soil: Steep blue Devonian slate that stores heat on near-vertical south-facing slopes.
Style: Filigree, low-alcohol Riesling — racy, intensely slatey, often off-dry.
Top sites: Famed sites: Bernkasteler Doctor, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Brauneberger Juffer.
Vintages: 2001, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2019
Producers

Tip · Mosel Riesling is the lightest of all — often 7–9% alcohol, with sweetness balanced by piercing acidity. Read the Prädikat for ripeness.

Value pick

Dr. Loosen 'Blue Slate' Kabinett · ~$22

A world-famous estate's village Kabinett — featherweight, slatey, off-dry Riesling that's one of wine's great bargains.

Collector pick

Joh. Jos. Prüm 'Wehlener Sonnenuhr' Auslese · ~$90 · 2018

From the most famous Mosel estate — sweet Rieslings that age effortlessly for decades.

Cool tributary valleys

Tip · The Saar is cooler and edgier than the main Mosel; in ripe years it makes some of the most electrifying Riesling on earth.

Value pick

Zilliken 'Butterfly' Riesling · ~$25

A grand Saar estate's entry wine — zesty, slatey and off-dry, a taste of Scharzhofberg country for little money.

Collector pick

Egon Müller 'Scharzhofberger' Auslese · ~$600 · 2018

From the world's greatest Riesling vineyard — among the most collected white wines on earth.