FFW 2021 Wine Catalogue

Mosel

GERMANY MOSEL

At the turn of the 19th century the wines of theMosel were prized as greatly as the best of Burgundy but have since fallen out of fashion. The best news for wine collectors is that you can buy some of the great white wines in the world for a fraction of their Burgundian counterparts. Fromdriest to sweetest, they are - Trocken, Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trockenbeerenauslese - and in essence, therein lies the differences in style. The vineyards are on the banks of theMosel river that gives its name to the region and are amongst some of the steepest in the world, harvested entirely by hardy pickers and often using small trains or conveyor belts to carry the grapes to the bottomof the hill. Bremmer Calmont is seen as the steepest vineyard in the world. The Riesling grape is extremely susceptible to soil, aspect and weather, so depending upon the vineyard the style can vary dramatically. Wurzgarten (spice garden) is a red clay vineyard that provides spicy, intense red apple flavoured wines, while Sonnenuhr (sundial) barely amile away is on blue flint that makes wines of pure, ethereal, floral and green apple flavoured wines. Mosel

The wines from theMosel Valley are produced almost solely fromRiesling. They are fine, mineral, light yet complex, intense and age worthy. They suggest flavours variously of citrus, green apple, peach, floral elements, flint and even honey and petrol as they age. Above all, the wines are incredibly elegant. Increasingly popular are the dry wines produced, but evenwhen there is sweetness, it is offset by perfect balance of acidity.

Some of the greatest version of the grape come from theMosel, names such as Loosen , JJ Prüm , Markus Molitor amongst others are known for ageing and intensity. In 1984, at the tender age of 20, Markus Molitor took over his father’s winery with a clear aim: to produceMosel Rieslings under the name “Molitor” in the tradition of eight generations and in the same quality

that made the regionworld-famous a hundred years ago – terroir-specific,

unmistakeable, and extremely storable. Wines by Markus Molitor demonstrate the potential of theMosel terroir – structure and depth of flavour combined with freshness and elegance. The winery is based at the centre of theWehlener Klosterberg site and cultivates vineyards in 15 different sites, each of which is unique. Malcolm Willatts

CLASSIC GRAPE VARIETALS Riesling

FAVOURITE PRODUCERS

JJ Prüm, Markus Molitor, Loosen, Haag and Haart

SOIL TYPE Slate

AREA UNDER VINE 9000ha

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WINE CATALOGUE