Untermosel

The Untermosel (Lower Moselle) extends to the confluence with the Rhine at Koblenz. Here the river cuts through the Rhenish Slate Mountains in many tight loops, and the vineyards climb the slopes on steep terraces. Well-known villages are Cochem, Valwig, Kobern-Gondorf and Winningen; among the best-known sites are the Cochemer Bischofstuhl and the Winninger Uhlen.

The bedrock is Devonian slate, mixed in many sites with quartzite and greywacke; on lower slopes loess and loam cover occur. The steep slopes and the slate store heat and release it at night. The climate is cool continental, the river tempers extremes, and the deep valley position provides shelter from wind.

Riesling characterises the Untermosel, with Spätburgunder and Müller-Thurgau alongside. The wines are often taut, mineral and sharply acidic. The Terrassenmosel around Winningen and Kobern-Gondorf is a pronounced steep-slope landscape of terraced viticulture; well-known producers include Heymann-Löwenstein and Knebel in Winningen.