TERROIR PROFILE
Ruwer
Small but legendary slate valley
Ruwer — only 19 producers, but Karthäuserhof and Maximin Grünhaus are world-class.
Climate, site & wine
Heavily weathered Devonian slate characterizes the valley: Abtsberg consists of blue slate, Herrenberg of red slate that has weathered deeply and holds water well. Riesling shows citrus, herbs and stoniness with very fine acidity.
Typical are delicate, filigree wines with low alcohol and high ageing capacity, dry or sweet; Karthäuserhof in Eitelsbach is the second great address.
TERROIR PROFILE · Mosel
Ruwer Small but legendary slate valley
Ruwer — only 19 producers, but Karthäuserhof and Maximin Grünhaus are world-class.
SOILS
Slatemineral, smoky
Slate stores heat and releases it at night — wines show wet stone, smoke and a delicate structure.
CLIMATE · Cool continental
Very cool in a narrow, wind-sheltered side valley of the Mosel. Nearby forest and cool air currents from the heights lower temperatures; ripening is late and high acidity is retained.
TOPOGRAPHY · steep
Narrow, winding valley of the Ruwer near Trier, with viticulture around Eitelsbach, Kasel, Waldrach and Mertesdorf. In Mertesdorf, Maximin Grünhaus lies at the foot of a long south-facing slope where Abtsberg is up to 70 per cent steep.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Untermosel
Mosel
100% similar
- Ruwer and Untermosel share a strikingly similar fingerprint — the differences lie in soil and grape varieties.
Saar
Mosel
96% similar
- Freshness (slightly): Ruwer has less freshness → gentler acidity, earlier drinking (9 vs. 10).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 89 →Weingut Karthäuserhof
Trier-Eitelsbach
Renown 84/100
Weingut Maximin Grünhaus (Schubert)
Mertesdorf
Renown 54/100
Dominikanerweingut C. von Nell-Breuning
Kasel
Renown 34/100
Weingut Karlsmühle
Mertesdorf-Lorenzhof
Renown 25/100
Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt
Morscheid
Renown 19/100
Weingut Rinke
Mertesdorf
Renown 14/100
Weingut Erben von Beulwitz
Mertesdorf
Renown 11/100
Weingut Herbert Steffes
Waldrach
Renown 6/100
This terroir's soils in the glossary