Mosel

Question 1

What are the 6 Bereiche of Mosel?

Answer 1

Saar, Ruwertal, Bernkastel, Burg Cochem, Obermosel, Moseltor.

Question 2

Which is the largest Bereiche? What towns does it stretch between?

Answer 2

Berncastel. Between Trier & Zell

Question 3

What is another name for the Bernkastel Bereich?

Answer 3

Mittelmosel

Question 4

What’s the most important gemeinden in Bernkastel? What are its most important einzellagen?

Answer 4

Bernkastel-Kues: Doctor & Lay

Question 5

What is the major soil type of the Mittelmosel? Is there a secondary?

Answer 5

Blue Devonian Slate is dominant, though there’s more red Devonian slate upriver near Erden.

Question 6

What is Mosel’s annual average temperature? What is ideal for grapes? What explains this discrepency?

Answer 6

49F, vs 57F

Moderating factors include heat-absorbing blue slate soils, light and heat reflection from the mosel, steep slopes and southern aspects.

Question 7

Why are all good Mosel rieslings hand-harvested?

Answer 7

Best sites demand hand harvesting because steep slopes are necessary to ripen noble riesling.

Question 8

What are the 2 common mosel grosselagen? How are their wines?

Answer 8

Badstube & Michelsberg. Badstube sources grapes from around Bernkastel-Kues and can be a good value. Michelsberg is a commercially produced insult to Piesport.

Question 9

Where does the Mosel originate? Where does it flow into the Rhine?

Answer 9

The Vosges mountains in France; At Koblenz (lower Mosel)

Question 10

What are the Bereichs of Mosel from North to South?

Answer 10

Bernkastel, Burg-Cochem, Saar, Ruwertal, Obermosel, Moseltor

Question 11

What is Burg-Cochem often referred to? Why?

Answer 11

Either the lower mosel or the “terraced” Mosel. It’s home to the world’s steepest vineyard, Bremmer Calmont, which has vines planted at 60 degree gradients.

Question 12

Which Bereich is Brauneberg in? What are its important einzellagen?

Answer 12

Bernkastel; Juffer & Juffer Sonnenuhr (Sundial)

Question 13

Which Bereich is Erden in? What are its important einzellagen? What are its soils?

Answer 13

Bernkastel; Prälat & Treppchen (the little staircase)
Iron-rich red slate & clay

Question 14

Which Bereich is Graach an der Mosel in? What are its important einzellagen?

Answer 14

Bernkastel; Domprobts, Josephshöfer

Question 15

What is Josephshöfer?

Answer 15

A monopole of Reichsgraff von Kesselstatt, in Graach an der Mosel, in Bernkastel.

Question 16

What Bereich is Ürzig in? What are its important einzellagen? What is its soil?

Answer 16

Bernkastel; Würzgarten.
Red volcanic sandstone - exotic riesling

Question 17

What bereich is Whalen in? What are its important einzellagen?

Answer 17

Bernkastel; Sonnenuher (sundial)

Question 18

Where is the upper Mosel? What’s its most important city there? What important Bereichs are there?

Answer 18

South West Mosel; Saar & Ruwertal

Question 19

What are the important gemeinden in Saar? What are their important einzellagen?

Answer 19

Wiltengen & Saarburg
Wiltengen: Scharzhoffberger
Saarburg: Rausche

Question 20

What are the important gemeinden in Ruwertal? What are their important einzellagen?

Answer 20

Eitelsbach & Mertesdorf
Eitelsbach: Karthäuserhofberg
Mertesdorf: Abtsberg, Herrenberg, Bruderberg

Question 21

What important mountain ranges act as slight rain shadows in the Mosel?

Answer 21

The Vosges to the South and the Eifels to the West

Question 22

Which bereich is Piesport in? What are its most important einzellagen?

Answer 22

Bernkastel; Goldtröpchen, Domherr

Question 23

What is the southernmost gemeinden in Bernkastel? What are its most important einzellagen?

Answer 23

Trittenheim; Apotheke

Question 24

What are three important properties of slate soils?

Answer 24

Well-draining (loose as a topsoil), and heat-retaining/radiating, relatively low-nutrient, restricting yields and increasing quality

Question 25

What grapes can be GG here?

Answer 25

Only riesling

Question 26

What’s planted in Mosel?

Answer 26

90% white wine: 85% riesling, 10% Müller-Thurgau, 5% Elbling
10% red wine: spätbergunder.

Question 27

What kind of training is common in Mosel? Why?

Answer 27

High, staked, guyout trained vines
High canopy managment maximizes air circulation and allows for maximum sun exposure & grape ripeness

Question 28

Why is riesling Mosel’s signature grape?

Answer 28

It’s cold-hardy, with hard wood, tolerant of winter freeze
Late budding, avoiding common spring frosts
Mid-to-late ripening, allows for freedom of expression