Germany's 13 wine regions welcome visitors with open arms. Each region has its particular specialty, and regional cuisine, as you might imagine, pairs perfectly with the best local wines. You can tour wineries if you arrange your visit in advance, and wine producers, wine bar owners and restaurateurs will happily point you toward their best offerings. Let's take a closer look at wine travel in some of Germany's most famous wine regions.
Mosel
The Mosel wine region, formerly called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, produces world-class rieslings. When you see the steeply-sloped vineyards that slant down toward the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer Rivers, you'll marvel that grapes have been grown here for over 2,000 years. There's a reason, though, that Mosel wine producers spend the money to hand-tend their grapes. Mosel's top wines are truly special. The region's rieslings are often called "racy" and "slaty" because the minerals in Mosel's slate- and limestone-based soils come through in the wines.
A trip to the Mosel wine region takes you to Germany's earliest wine-producing days. The ancient Roman city of Trier is a wonderful place to begin your trip, but don't miss the opportunity to travel up the winding river valley and see a winery or two for yourself. Mosel's Straußwirtschaften, or seasonal wine taverns, are a well-established tradition. Each year, Mosel wine producers welcome visitors to these small temporary inns from early May to October, serving up local foods and Mosel's popular white wines. (Tip: While the Mosel Straußwirtschaft website is in German only, you can find a current list of Straußwirtschaften by clicking "zur Straußwirtschaften [year]" and searching by town.)
