Where: In the central eastern portion of Germany, carrying right along with the Mosel River and embracing the Saar and Ruwer tributaries, too.
What: The preeminent site for Riesling in the world. Most of the best vineyards are on the thrillingly steep, slate-covered, south-facing slopes that look down over the river and town below. The slate soil is not to be denied: Bluish-gray sheets of rock slivered and piled around the vines can’t help but make for intense, slatey mineral notes in the wines.
Even though it’s pretty cold up in this part of Germany, the hills are so steep that the vines stare straight at the sun coming from the south. Then, even more sunlight gets reflected from the Mosel river below back onto the vines. This means the grapes get nice and ripe, yet they also tend to have wild levels of acidity and often a refreshingly low alcohol level — all of which makes Mosel Rieslings startlingly complex, balanced and often just silly-easy to drink (on their own or paired with food).
With: Riesling is super versatile, but pay attention to the grape ripeness level in Mosel Rieslings; it will often be designated on the label by what’s called a “prädikat.” Kabinett is the lightest; it’s great with things like sushi and fresh vegetables and amazing with Thai or Chinese food, particularly spicy dishes. Next comes Spätlese: These are ideal with any kind of pork, seafood or creamy dishes. Finally, Auslese are the ripest and fullest you’d pair with dinner (the higher prädikats are dessert wines), and these deserve richer seafood dishes or something salty-sweet, like ham.
Who: Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, or Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett
