I’m scaling up rock walls on completely vertical ladders, traversing cliff faces with the barest toe holds for my feet as I cling to metal cables and walking gingerly on steep slippery slate pathways. Am I mountain climbing? No I’m visiting vineyards in Germany’s Mosel region.
The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is Germany’s oldest wine growing region and the biggest area of precipitous vine cultivation in the world. Precipitous is almost an understatement. These are Europe’s steepest vineyards with sheer slopes covered with millions of grape vines. Swiss mountaineers had prepared the pathways for hiking the steep vineyards of the Bremmer-Calmont trail (70 degree grade of steepness) which I was enjoying. I was feeling pretty puffed at my mountain taming abilities until I saw whole families climbing at a fast pace. I met one group that had to be three generations from grandparents to grandchildren completing one harrowing face cliff traverse as if it was part of their regular Sunday “stroll”. Perhaps it was.
German’s love active vacations and there are multiple sporting ways to discover their 13 wine growing regions. Many of these regions boast well sign posted hiking trails through the vineyards. One of the most extensive is the 320 kilometre Rheinsteig from Wiesbaden to Bonn that opened in 2005 and runs along the right side of the Rhine River. My trail from Ediger-Eller to Bremm was a mere four kilometres but steep enough to require those climbing aids installed by the Swiss. My group was met at a panoramic point high in the vineyards with a smorgasbord of incredible food prepared by our guide Petra Kessler-Hagenau and delicious white wine. This energetic red head frequently takes groups of tourists on this trail preparing the food the night before and sending it up ahead. It was a heavenly lunch of salads, mini quiches, sausages, herbal breads, fruit crumbles and cool tangy riesling from Weingut Reinhold Franzen.
Home base for this tour was the art deco style Romantik-Jugenstilhotel Bellevue in Traben-Trarbach overlooking the Mosel River. I knew I was in for a good time here when I saw one of it turrets was capped with a roof resembling a champagne stopper. The bar below my spacious room was hopping every night. The breakfast buffet was the hearty extensive type often found in Germany with mounds of sliced meats, sausages, cheeses, herring, egg variations, breads and so forth. No matter how active you are in Germany you’re not likely to lose weight.
The next day we rented canoes to paddle the Saar River (a tributary of the Mosel) from Schoden to Kanzem. The 217 kilometre “Wasserwanderroute” Mosel has many places to rent a rowboat or canoe (the plastic almost untippable type) and 60 landing piers en route to go ashore. The route we took had only the lightest of rapids – just enough to keep you alert – and passed by scenic vineyards and countryside. We ended the river excursion with a lunch and wine tasting at Weingut Reverchon, one of many beautiful family wine estates in the area that open their doors to the public. Their wines – Saar riesling, dry pinot blanc, pinot noir rosé and pinot noir were uniformly delicious. Dinner that night was a posh affair at Becker’s, a two star Michelin awarded restaurant par excellence.
The third day we rented bicycles available through the hotel and biked the Middle Mosel from Traben-Trarbach to picturesque Bernkastel, stopping on route to admire a Roman pressing house near Erdener Treppchen. (There are at least 50 Roman wine presses along the Mosel, a testament to its long history of wine making.) Biking along riverscapes has two distinct advantages – it’s pretty and it’s flat. This is an activity even a couch potato can enjoy and the Mosel has over 1,000 kilometres of cycling paths. Thrice annually along the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer there are auto-free days but no fears if you don’t catch those times. The paths are well separated from the road and there’s little chance of getting clipped by a car.
For lunch of course we stopped at winery/restaurant. This time it was Mönchhof in Ürzig, one of the oldest wine estates in the Mosel. Once an Abbey, its estate manor built in 1509 now houses gorgeous guest rooms. Special plaques on the outside of the building show the high water points when the Mosel overflows its banks. The floods from the years 1925 and 1993 were particularly impressive with marks high above the height of a man. Most impressive however were the riesling wines available in styles ranging from bone dry to dessert sweet to sparkling.
This area of Germany is a treasure trove of wonderful whites principally from the riesling variety. It’s those steep slate vineyards that bring a very special minerality to the wines and a special challenge to winemakers. If you think climbing the slopes might be difficult, try cultivating them. In Traben-Trarbach a group of 10 vintners has banded together calling themselves Bergrettung or “Mountain Rescue” with the goal of reviving and replanting abandoned steep vineyards. It’s hard to get people to want to do this work – there’s little money in it and definite danger. I hope with all my heart they succeed. As I discovered, while the steep slopes can give you vertigo, the wine will make your head spin with delight.