Mosel

Germany · Wine Auction Prices

The Mosel is Germany's most celebrated wine region, a sinuous 250-kilometre ribbon of river between Trier and Koblenz where Riesling clings to some of the world's steepest vineyard slopes. The river's constant meanders create an ever-shifting mosaic of south- and southwest-facing exposures, essential for ripening grapes at latitudes approaching 50°N. Beneath the vines lies Devonian slate — blue-grey in the Mittelmosel, warmer red slate toward the Saar tributary — which retains heat through cool nights and lends the wines their defining mineral tension. Riesling accounts for over 90% of plantings, a near-monoculture that reflects the variety's extraordinary fit with this particular geology and microclimate. The classification of Mosel Riesling runs from refreshingly low-alcohol Kabinett and Spätlese through the richer Auslese to the rarefied botrytized heights of Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein. At auction it is the BA, TBA and Eiswein tiers — produced only in exceptional years — that command the highest prices per bottle, sometimes rivalling top Burgundy. Joh. Jos. Prüm's Wehlener Sonnenuhr bottlings are among the most actively traded German wines globally, while Egon Müller's Scharzhofberger TBA holds the all-time record for the most expensive German wine sold at auction. The combination of racy acidity, ethereal fruit purity and near-indefinite ageing potential makes top Mosel Riesling a collector's wine unlike any other.