Mosel Riesling. From bone dry to honey sweet.

A river carved through slate

The heart of the Mosel runs from Trier to Koblenz, where the Mosel meets the Rhine. In a straight line that is under 100 kilometers, but the river loops for well over twice that distance. Over millions of years it cut deep into the rock, exposing the slate that gives Mosel wines their character.

Above the valley the hill country is cold, windy and wet. Down by the river the vineyards are sheltered, and the best sites are south-facing, very steep and close to the water. The Erdener Prälat even has a fourth advantage: cliffs that wrap around it like an amphitheater.

For centuries this was the most northerly region in Europe making wine from naturally ripe grapes, and growers struggled to get enough sugar into their fruit. Even in the 1980s there were vintages with tooth-breaking acidity. A warmer climate has changed that, and a hat and sunscreen are now essential on a hot afternoon in the vines.

Blue slate, red slate and spice

Different soils give different Rieslings. Blue slate, typical of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, gives elegant, delicate wines with stone fruit, green apple and peach. The red volcanic soil of the Ürziger Würzgarten, the "spice garden," brings herbal and spicy notes. Red slate, found in the Prälat, adds yet another shade.

It is backbreaking work on these slopes, and the paradox delights the hosts: the hardest work produces some of the lightest wines in the world, with vivid acidity and a mineral taste.

From Kabinett to TBA

Riesling can be made in almost every white wine style. The traditional Prädikat ladder reflects how ripe the grapes are when picked: Kabinett, Spätlese (late harvest), Auslese (selected bunches), Beerenauslese (selected berries) and Trockenbeerenauslese (shriveled, noble-rotted berries). Morning mists from the river help noble rot develop in autumn.

In the film Ernst Loosen recalls his first TBA in 1989: 1,500 kilograms of shriveled berries pressed for two days produced about 100 bottles. Pickers at the estate sort fruit into separate buckets by health and level of botrytis as they harvest.

Most Mosel Riesling vines still grow on single stakes, so bunches hang at different heights and in different light. That makes it possible to pick in several passes over weeks, which is the real origin of the Prädikat system. Because Riesling ripens late and keeps building aroma in the autumn sun while holding its acidity, each step up the ladder brings more concentration without losing freshness.

Ernie, Bernie and a bankrupt estate

Dr. Loosen combines two old family estates, one with a history of dry wines and one, linked to the Prüm family, of sweet wines. Ernst Loosen studied archeology and took over in 1987 only because nobody else would. Most of the old staff quit in the middle of his first harvest, so he and his school friend Bernie learned by doing.

By then German wine had a bad name. Cheap, sweet bulk wines and the 1971 wine law had damaged Riesling's image. Ernst set out to make Riesling great again and traveled the world pouring it. A 1947 dry Riesling made by his grandfather changed his approach to dry wine: old ungrafted vines, spontaneous fermentation and long aging in big casks. See what came of a failed 1988 Auslese that would not ferment dry.

GG, Feinherb and reading the label

As a member of the VDP, the estate uses a Burgundy-style vineyard classification. Traditional fruity-sweet wines keep the Prädikat names, while the top dry wines from classified sites are labeled GG (Grosses Gewächs). Feinherb is an off-dry style that the film recommends with smoked fish, ham and salads. And Riesling's long life is one of its great gifts: an old bottle can still be thrilling.

German labels can be confusing, as Ernst admits when he recalls an importer asking how to explain a very long vineyard name followed by Trockenbeerenauslese. The best way to beat the old prejudice, he says, is simply to put a glass in people's hands.

Go furtherWant to taste along? Find Dr. Loosen’s wines and where to buy them near you on Wine-Searcher. To explore the estates, vineyards and wines of the Mosel and Germany further, the wein.plus wine guide is a great resource.