Ahead of this trip, I had reached out to several wineries to inquire about tastings. While many were available to book online through the Wine Tourism site, we also had good luck booking directly though email or just showing up!

Our first stop was about 30 minutes south of Mainz at Weingut Werther Windisch. Earlier this year I tried one of their reds as part of a mixed German pack so I was glad they were able to accommodate us during harvest. It was just the two of us tasting with Katerin who was a wonderful host, and altogether we tried 11 wines, 9 whites and 2 reds, accompanied by some fresh bread.

1. Perlwein – light and fruity, nice summer wine
2. Riesling 2023 – apricot, and mineral, medium acidity and some mineral
3. Grauburgunder 2023 – nice lush mouthfeel, white peach and lime
4. Silvaner 2022 – lime, mineral, a little wood, lots of fruit
5. Riesling Vom Kalk 2023 – light honey, limestone, white peach with a floral nose, less acidity
6. Harxheim Lieth Silvaner 2021 – nicely rounded, tropical notes with a medium finish
7. Harxheim Schlossberg Riesling 2021 – grape must! long-lasting finish with less mineral than earlier pours
8. Rot Gutwein 2021 – quite light, mulberry and cherry, thyme and smoke, very easy to drink
9. Spätburgunder Vom Kalk 2022 – baking spices, dark cherry pie, would let this sit another year or two
10. Riesling Spätlese 2022 – big and lush, honeysuckle, lemon zest, mineral and medium sweetness
11. Riesling Auslese 2023 – sweet! rock sugar and cotton candy, peach, lush mouthfeel with clean finish

The tasting fee was 15€ pp which we felt was fair as we were there nearly two hours! We left with 5 bottles: a dry rosé, Rot Gutwein, Spätburgunder Vom Kalk, the standard Riesling, and a Riesling Auslese.

Weinvilla Heinrichshof was the first of two tastings on Friday afternoon. We arrived a bit early to our tasting appointment and waited outside in the sunshine. Right at 2pm we were warmly greeted by Mom Griebel (former owner and mother of current owners) who asked us to select a few wines from their offerings –  which she then modified and added to to give us the best experience!  We each tried 8 wines and she sat with us to describe the wines, give us the history of the vineyard, and generally entertain us. Our tasting spanned sunshine, clouds, rain, and then back to sun again! The tasting fee was a very reasonable 8€ and we left with a few bottles: two Spätburgunders, a Blanc de Noir and the Riesling Spätlese. The wine overall was delicious and we very much enjoyed the experience here.

We couldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit the world famous Dr. Loosen tasting room – but it turned out to be our least favorite of the Mosel Valley tastings. We had a reservation but the gate was closed when we arrived, apparently you have to hit an intercom button to be allowed into the courtyard. Once inside we were quickly seated with another couple (and their super cute pup) and had a dedicated host, Sven. Weirdly, while other places let us choose our own adventure, here both of us had to get the exact same 5 wines. Pretty annoying as Eric and I have different tastes and there didn’t seem to be an option to just split one tasting? We selected a trio of Rieslings from different slate soil types – red, blue, and gray – a Roter Riesling, and their one red.

1. Roter Riesling – first harvest of this variety, fermented smell, apple, sharp minerality, peach pit, quick finish, medium acidity
2. Blauschiefer Riesling – lots of acidity, apricot, longer dry finish, Eric’s fave
3. Rotschiefer Riesling – drier than previous pour, more mineral, lasting finish
4. Grauschiefer Riesling – a ittle sweeter, light slate, dry finish, honey and orange, would be solid with cheese
5. Spätburgunder from Pfalz – sour cherry, green pepper, a bit bitter, not impressed

We both felt the tasting was overpriced at 15€ for small pours that we couldn’t entirely customize.

Not knowing when we would be done exploring Saarburg and Trier, we just decided to stop by during Weingut Rudolf Hoffmann‘s open hours and hope for the best. We parked in the driveway, rang the bell, and the owner happily set up a table for us outside. We split a tasting of six wines with very generous pours for a reasonable 12€, accompanied by crackers and sparkling water.

1. 2022 Spätburgunder Rosé – half-dry, lots of strawberry and a little cream, red apple
2. 2020 Riesling “Moselzauber” – balanced minerals and sweetness, stone fruit and white grape
3. 2021 Kerner – apple! big flavor, tasted like fall, apple pie, honey, medium sweetness
4. 2022 Rotling – big floral nose up front fading to cherry jello, dark cherry and strawberry, medium acidity
5. 2018 Gewürztraminer – layered sweetness, spare ribs, pineapple, mango, full and lush
6. 2018 Spätburgunder Rotwein – 5 spice powder, bitter finish, the only pour we didn’t finish

Our luggage was fairly full by this point, but we did come home with a bottle each of the Moselzauber Riesling and the Rotling. The small village was extremely quiet and the outdoor area was very inviting with shade trees and a goldfish pond.

Though we only had a few days in the valley we were definitely intrigued by their offerings and hope to return in the future.