Three Days of Wine in the Mosel Valley

German wine country has always been on my travel wish list, but it took Taylor Swift to get me there. With tickets to The Eras Tour in Munich in hand, a couple of my fellow Swifties and I kicked off the German leg of our trip with Riesling along the Mosel and Nahe Rivers.

Check out this guide to plan your own visit to the Mosel and Nahe wine regions!

Day 1: Mosel

Nestled along the winding banks of the Mosel River, the Mosel Valley is a fairytale wine region in the heart of Germany. Celebrated for producing some of the finest Rieslings in the world, the region boasts a rich winemaking history that stretches back to Roman times. Among the steep, vineyard-covered hills, there are quaint towns like Bernkastel-Kues in the Middle Mosel.

I highly recommend basing your trip in Bernkastel-Kues, a quintessential German town. Known for its half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, and rich winemaking heritage, Bernkastel-Kues’s charming medieval streets are full of historic architecture, restaurants, shops, and wine bars. Just around the corner from the town center, Hotel Deinhard’s is both charming and modern. We enjoyed the beautiful vineyard views from our rooms, as well as breakfast and the in-house Asian-fusion restaurant.

In terms of coming and going, I recommend flying into nearby Frankfurt and renting a car. The region is easy to navigate and Deinhard’s offers easily accessible and reasonably priced parking.

Weingut Später-Veit

Our first stop in the Mosel region was Weingut Später-Veit. Located a short drive from Bernkastel-Kues in Piesport, Später-Veit is is a family-run winery dating back to the 1600s. Specializing in Riesling, the estate is known for producing mineral-driven wines that reflect the unique terroir of Piesport's steep vineyards, including the renowned Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Domherr. We had the opportunity to try both of these, in addition to a number of delicious sparkling wines and other Riesling bottlings.

When you visit, be sure to check out their incredible views of the River and order a Flammkuchen, a German-style pizza with fromage blanc or crème fraîche, thinly sliced onions, and lardons. It is truly the perfect pairing for Riesling!

Day 2: Mosel

Weingut Martin Müllen

Weingut Martin Müllen’s tasting room is located in the town of Traben-Trarbach. The road from Bernkastel-Kues to Traben-Trarbach is a winding, scenic route along the River. As the crow flies, it is probably half the distance. Such is the Mosel!

Weingut Martin Müllen is a must-visit winery for an authentic Mosel wine experience. They focus on producing expressive, terroir-driven Riesling wines from some of the region's most prized steep-sloped vineyards. Their boutique tasting room is comfortable and rustic—an ideal setting, in my opinion. In fact, all of my favorite wine tastings have been in rooms just like theirs. We tasted a wide variety of Rieslings, all of which were incredible. My two favorites were the 1993 Beerenauslese and 2003 Spätlese. Aged Riesling is my love language!

Weingut Selbach-Oster

Between Bernkastel-Kues and Traben-Trarbach, the town of Zeltingen-Rachtig is home to several wineries, including Selbach-Oster. Among the most well-known Mosel wine producers, Selbach-Oster is a distinguished, family-run winery.

With a winemaking tradition dating back to the 1600s, the Selbach family has honed their craft over generations, focusing on vineyards in some of the Mosel’s prime locations, such as Zeltinger Sonnenuhr and Wehlener Sonnenuhr. The estate is known for its meticulous attention to detail to allow the terroir’s natural minerality and acidity to shine through. Selbach-Oster's wines are celebrated for their precision, elegance, and ability to age gracefully, making them a favorite among Riesling enthusiasts around the world.

Day 3: Nahe

The Nahe wine region is a hidden gem, offering a range of wines thanks to its geologically diverse landscape. Stretching along the Nahe River, the region is known for its rich variety of soils, including volcanic rock, slate, quartzite, clay, and loess. While Riesling is the star grape here, the Nahe also produces excellent Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). It is quieter and more intimate than the nearby Mosel.

Weingut K.H. Schneider

Weingut K.H. Schneider is in the town of Bad Sobernheim, about an hour from Bernkastel-Kues. This family-owned winery produces high-quality, handcrafted wines with a focus on expressing the Nahe’s diverse soils and microclimates. We tried a wide array of Rieslings, plus Spätburgunder.

Winemaker Andi Schneider’s style emphasizes elegance, balance, and purity. The Marbach Riesling bottlings were standouts for me. They are sourced from the steep, south-facing Marbach vineyard known for its stony, mineral-rich soils. This vineyard imparts crisp acidity, intense minerality, and vibrant citrus and stone fruit flavors. These wines showcase the essence and potential of the Nahe region.

Weingut Dönnhoff

Weingut Dönnhoff is located in the rural town of Oberhausen. The surrounding landscape is a mix of rolling hills, sprawling vineyards, and the flowing Nahe River, creating a countryside atmosphere. The Dönnhoff family has been working the land in this idyllic and tranquil corner of Germany for 250 years.

Weingut Dönnhoff is prestigious for good reason: their wines are distinctive yet reliably and consistently well-made. Their meticulous vineyard management and winemaking techniques emphasize the quality of their land and practices. This focus produces Rieslings that are complex, deep, and built for aging. Their 2003 Riesling Beerenauslese Oberhauser Brücke was one of my favorite wines of the trip. It was dense and delicious—and could have aged for many more years.

Gut Hermannsberg

Gut Hermannsberg is in Niederhausen, just across the bridge from Weingut Dönnhoff. However, on the day of our visit, the bridge was closed for construction. As such, we took the long way, zig-zagging through the hills of Nahe to the other side of the River.

I didn’t think that German wine country could get more beautiful, and then we arrived at Gut Hermannsberg. Located atop steep vineyards, this winery specializes in high-end Grosses Gewächs (“GG”) wines. Grosses Gewächs is a term of distinction for dry wines from Grosse Lage (essentially grand cru) vineyards. Gut Hermannsberg’s GG wines are the pinnacle of the estate’s commitment to showcasing the highest expression of their vineyard sites in the Nahe region. Seek these wines for their ability to develop additional layers of complexity and refinement over time.

The wines of Später-Veit, Martin Müllen, K.H. Schneider, and Gut Hermannsberg can be purchased through Fass Selections. Dönnhoff and Selbach-Oster are both imported by Skurnik Wines.