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At 545km long, the Moselle is the longest tributary of the Rhine, known around the world for its romantic river scenery and fantastic wine. You'll find idyllic winegrowing villages and vineyards with familiar names, taverns and cultural history at every turn. The meandering river valley with its steep vineyard slopes could be compared to a "natural vine-bedecked amphitheatre". The Moselle rises in France, then makes its way towards the Rhine, winding this way and that as if slightly tipsy. This elegant and curvaceous river was once popular with the ancient Romans and Celts. The Moselle Wine Route starts just over the French/German border in Perl, a small, pretty wine town. It then snakes its way along the Moselle for more than 250km through an outstanding area of natural and cultural interest, where the art of wine-making has left an indelible mark.
It is no exaggeration to say that a new vista awaits visitors around every twist and turn in the river. The steep vineyards are quite breathtaking in some places. At 380 metres high and with a 55-degree gradient, "Calmont" near Bremm is thought to be Europe's steepest vineyard. The string of winegrowing towns and villages - from Nennig to Koblenz via Trier, Longuich, Bernkastel-Kues, Traben-Trarbach, Zell, Cochem and Treis-Karden - are delightful places to take a stroll or enjoy a break in a restaurant or in one of the traditional Strausswirtschaften, inns selling locally produced wine. The amazing countryside through which the meandering Moselle carves its way through the rock has also been shaped by a thousand years of history. It was home to the Teutons, but the Celts and Romans also left behind a number of architectural and cultural monuments that can still be visited today. The drinking culture was also heavily influenced by the Romans, as demonstrated by the "rummer" wine glass (a corruption of the German word "Römer", meaning Roman).
