TERROIR PROFILE
Obermosel
Elbling heartland on the Luxembourg border
Obermosel — Elbling country, one of Europe's oldest varieties. Different soil than Mittelmosel.
Climate, site & wine
Muschelkalk and Keuper make up the soils of the Obermosel, a clear contrast to the slate of the rest of the Mosel. Lime-rich soils and the cool climate favour Elbling, a very old, acid-driven variety that tradition says the Romans brought here.
Elbling gives light, lively and often low-alcohol wines with green apple and citrus; it also suits sparkling wine. Rivaner (Müller-Thurgau), Kerner and Spätburgunder complete the range in a fresh, rather slender style.
TERROIR PROFILE · Mosel
Obermosel Elbling heartland on the Luxembourg border
Obermosel — Elbling country, one of Europe's oldest varieties. Different soil than Mittelmosel.
SOILS
Muschelkalk limestoneprecise, salty-mineral
Muschelkalk yields a crisp mineral acidity and salty depth.
Keuper marlpowerful, iron-red
Keuper marl with high iron content gives Lemberger and Pinot Noir powerful, spicy depth.
CLIMATE · Cool continental
Cool, temperate climate in the tri-border area of Germany, Luxembourg and France. Ripening is comparatively late and the wines keep plenty of acidity. The valley is wider and the slopes gentler than in the slate part of the Mosel further downstream.
TOPOGRAPHY · moderate
Gently to moderately sloping hillsides along the Mosel between Perl at the tri-border point and Konz at the confluence with the Saar, about 45 kilometres. The relief is far less rugged than downstream; the vineyard area is only about 750 hectares.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Alta Langa
Piedmont
96% similar
- Warmth (slightly): Obermosel is cooler → tauter fruit, leaner wines, more acidity (3 vs. 4).
Unterer Mittelrhein & Siebengebirge
Mittelrhein
93% similar
- Warmth (slightly): Obermosel is cooler → tauter fruit, leaner wines, more acidity (3 vs. 4).
- Dryness (slightly): Obermosel is wetter → juicier, softer, more plushness (4 vs. 5).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 32 →Weingut Hubertus M. Apel
Nittel
Renown 30/100
BioWeingut Beck-Winter
Nittel
Renown 12/100
Weingut B. Frieden
Nittel
Renown 10/100
Weingut Matthias Dostert
Nittel
Renown 9/100
Winzerhof Greif
Nittel
Renown 9/100
Weingut & Brennerei Peter Greif
Tawern
Renown 8/100
Weingut Karl Sonntag
Nittel
Renown 4/100
Weingut Ernst Hein
Temmels
Renown 4/100
This terroir's soils in the glossary