Blog Post

Mosel River Cruise!

Kerry Shiels • May 29, 2019

Thoughts on Riesling

Of course the Mosel River Cruise was a blast! We spent time in vineyards, wineries, castles, forests, quaint villages, and sailing the spectacularly picturesque rivers, making new friends and reconnecting with old ones.

First, and best, the people. I know our club members are great. And yet, I was still impressed by how much they made every day more fun, interesting, educational, and just better. Plus, they were kind enough to keep me in line and make sure I didn't get left behind somewhere along the way! Thank you to everyone who joined on this adventure. You made the trip memorable! 😍 πŸ₯‚

There were other winemakers on board, who I am now so grateful to call my friends. Ryan Clifford from Willamette Valley Vineyards is a fantastic human being AND a walking selfie stick (see photo on the left). Matt Benson and Angie Reat, owners of Love and Squalor , had me falling off my chair laughing the entire time. Andrew Bandy-Smith of Antiquum Farm has a philosopher's heart, a nose for old and interesting bottles, and a penchant to share. Thank you, Andrew, for finding the most interesting and delicious wines of the trip! Plus, their wine club members are great too!

All of us gave talks, shared perspectives and experiences, and brought wine from home. Tasting Northwest wines in that context, side by side with German examples was supremely interesting! When we started making our Riesling, we did the tastings, studied the chemistry, and developed our style following German inspiration. And we got some of it totally right! And yet, it also showed what makes wine fun - the sense of place. In the Mosel, Spätlese means late harvest and the wines are fairly sweet. In Washington, it's an early to normal harvest decision, similar to Eroica or Poet's Leap. Even though the Côte Bonneville Riesling has residual sugar, it's not nearly as much as the average Mosel Riesling picked at the same ripeness level. I love the different expressions of regions and vineyard sites - these are what make Riesling, and all wines, so fascinating.

On the topic of sweet or dry wines, one of my favorite parts of the journey was listening to my fellow travelers talk about the wines. Many started off saying they didn't drink a lot of Riesling, or that they like dry Riesling. As the days went on, it was so much fun to see the discovery of the range of the grape! Sometimes you want dry, mineral, precise wines. Sometimes, a little sweetness and richness is just the ticket. Some days, when you're sailing all afternoon, it's fun to try them all! The beauty of low alcohol is that you can sip all afternoon and be feeling great :)

The reds from the the Willamette were bigger and richer than the reds from Germany. I tried a few local reds, but mostly stuck to the exceptional whites, and the wines from Oregon that were all delicious.

The vineyards were incredible. Superlative everything. Running through them in the mornings (hill repeats, anyone?) was a serious highlight for me. I'll spare you the details about how challenging these slopes and plots are to farm and suffice it to say, it made me appreciate our own vineyard. (I brought a bottle back from the steepest vineyard in Europe, so there's plenty of company with more reasonably sloped sites!) Complete respect for the people who farm here. It's hard work!

The castles and towns along the way were postcard perfect. The history, fascinating. Food, delicious. I highly recommend a visit. Sailing on Uniworld was a great way to go! And if you want help planning your trip, or want to hear about others, Brad Cilley from Northwest Travel is the mastermind who put this together. Thank you, Brad. It was unforgettable!

See you on the next trip!


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