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Setting out to cycle the length of the beautiful Mosel Valley, one of Germany's most renowned winelands, we reckoned on a leisurely week-long trip. But with clusters of rustic wine bars every few miles and wine tasting cellar tours on offer every evening—not to mention enchanting medieval towns and craggy castles around every bend of the river—our schedule was soon forgotten. We never did reach our destination, but we did gain a whole new appreciation for German wines!

The 125 mile long 'Mosel Wine Road' stretches from Koblenz to the ancient city of Trier. It's a great route to cycle—there are dedicated cycle paths along around 90% of the way, and the area's almost complete lack of industrialization and development means that the scenery remains magnificent and the villages are peaceful and charming. The great Mosel River snakes in huge curves through the valley. —It is an important trade route and heavily laden barges continue to ply up and down as they have done for centuries. But it is the Mosel's wines, excellent dry white Rieslings, which attract most of the visitors and are the real stars of the area. Vineyards cover nearly every sunny slope of the steep-sided valley. Rough stone terraces, some large enough only to support a few dozen vines, rise precipitously above the river and vineyards cling to the hillsides at crazy angles. The cycle paths often pass through the lower reaches of the vineyards and the thousands upon thousands of identical rows of low green leafy vines can become quite mesmerizing. Large white letters painted onto the stone retaining walls give the name of the vineyards, names that you will likely recognize that evening when choosing a glass of wine over a relaxing meal.

The dramatic surroundings and abundance of wine mean that there is no shortage of upscale riverside hotels and smart restaurants. But for those traveling on a budget it is well worth seeking out the many rooms available to rent by the night in the homes of local people. They are not difficult to find and except in very peak seasons there is generally no need to book ahead. Simply look out for signs saying 'Zimmer Frei' (rooms available). The very reasonable price usually includes an excellent breakfast of bread rolls, marmalades, a selection of cheeses and hams, hard boiled eggs and coffee - plenty to keep even the most energetic of cyclists going until lunch time!

Staying in these private rooms is a great way to meet the local people. Many of those advertising 'Zimmer Frei' are wine producing families (vintners) and we found that they were usually happy to let us sample a glass or two of their wines and show us around their wine cellar. Often much older than the houses that stand above them, these arched and vaulted cellars have been in use for many centuries. It is there in the dark, slightly musty cellar chambers, surrounded by rows of huge barrels, stacks of wine bottles and the tools and equipment of the traditional winemaker, that one begins to understand how wine has shaped the history of this area and how important its production still is.

As with the nearby Rhine Valley, grapes have been grown for wine along the Mosel since Roman times. The mechanization that has made the lives of vintners in other areas so much easier has proved difficult or impossible to apply to many of the Mosel's steeply-angled vineyards. Thus wine production here is still a tough, back breaking job and in that way little has changed over the last 2000 years. From pruning and weeding to the harvest itself, much of the work is still done by hand. Despite free accommodation, hearty meals and decent wages there is often a shortage of reliable workers at harvest time.

All the hard work, however, is well rewarded in that it produces wines of exceptional quality. In fact, the very things that make cultivation so strenuous are important factors in the wines' quality—the steep slopes maximize the sunshine that reaches the vines and the stony ground absorbs heat during the day and slowly releases it during the night. This results in fantastic wines famous worldwide.

Small wine-producing villages are strung along both sides of the river, often only a few miles apart. Each has an assortment of cafés and 'Wein Stube' (cozy bars selling locally produced wines) and many retain a wonderfully medieval atmosphere with gabled half-timbered houses lining quaintly crooked cobbled lanes. Beilstein and Zell are particularly charming and picturesque. There's usually at least one place in each village offering wine tasting sessions. Look for signs saying 'Weinprobe' or ask at the local tourist information office.

For something of a change of pace, the town of Cochem is well worth a stop, although it is worth bearing in mind that it tends to be overrun with tourists during the holiday season. The historic streets are lined with restaurants, souvenir shops and bakeries galore, and presiding over the town on a hill carpeted with vineyards is majestic Cochem Castle. There are great views from the castle down into the valley, but although the castle's foundations are ancient, much of what exists today was rebuilt in the 19th century.

To experience a real medieval castle travel a little further on to fantastic Burg Eltz - easily missed as it is tucked away in dense forest and can't be seen from the river. The effort it takes to get there is well rewarded - it is perhaps Germany's finest medieval castle, a fairytale fortress of sheer, impenetrable walls decorated with a mass of towers and turrets. Dating back over a thousand years, the castle has been added to over the years, but has never been greatly changed or rebuilt. Moreover, it is still lived in by the descendants of those who built it. Inside you'll find priceless treasures including superb Gobelin tapestries. Not to be missed!

Beguiled by the abundance of historic sights and tempted by the wines in every village, we completed little more than 70 miles of our 125-mile route. Covering an average of only 10 miles a day on our bikes might not seem like anything to be proud of, but nevertheless our trip was a resounding success and one that we will remember for a long time to come. And, of course, leaving our trip uncompleted gives us the perfect excuse to go back someday and do the whole route again!

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
German Tourist Board

-Updated 03-25-01-

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