Our friends Tatjana and Stephan invited us to join them on a gourmet Wine Weekend in the Mosel Valley! We were joined by Tatjana's lovely sister Sarah and her boyfriend Thomas. We had never been down that way and had heard so many great things. This is a trip they have done almost every year for the last 10 plus so we were thrilled to be included in this annual event.
The Mosel is one of the most charming river valleys in Europe, where the longest tributary to the Rhine has cut in a winding manner into the Devonian slate rocks of the "Rheinische Schiefergebirge". The region is characterized by thousands of years old settlements, that has not been destroyed by human folly, where the villages with their vineyards, embedded in the woods on the surrounding hills, are situated at the river; a scenery that has caused visitors to be enthused since the Roman times.
We set up camp at the simple yet beautiful family owned, Bollig Winery. The Family Bollig has been making wine here for over 200 years using only the best grapes grown under the most perfect conditions. After a small BBQ on the grounds we were treated to an evening in the wine cellar to taste all 23 of their up and coming wines. Everything from Reds, to Whites, to Sparkling were available to experience.
The next morning we gathered for an amazing hike through the sprawling vineyards where we were instructed in the ways of the Vintner. There are so many factors limited not only to rain or shine that go into making a special wine. We then stopped at an old hut where Frank-Dieter had a gourmet lunch and more delicious wine waiting. We closed up the hike by visiting some ancient roman remains where wine was once made in the traditional stomping manner.
Little did we know, the feast for the senses had only just begun! That evening we were welcomed into the Estate for a sparkling wine reception followed by the most amazing meal we have ever had. A total of 6 courses paired with 12 different wines for some of the most interesting combinations you could ever imagine. The celebration went well into the night as more and more bottles seemed to appear out of nowhere for our enjoyment.
The next day we packed up, bought enough wine to last a year (OK, maybe a month) and headed back to Frankfurt. We only hope our contributions to the weekend were good enough to warrant an invitation back next year!
Here are some more pics and video...
http://youtu.be/Y3_1gyI4MpM
https://picasaweb.google.com/100058394167996772160/MoselWineWeekend?authkey=Gv1sRgCIns4oH4qu2rXQ
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