After the excitement of the Castles and the Meteorological Temps/Wind Event of the morning we were looking forward to our second, yes, second Wine Tasting Event of the cruise. But no worries, we did have a Designated Driver in Franz, our Driver du Jour. We blew into Koblenz like the stagecoach skidding to a halt in front of Miss Kittie’s Saloon. Not really, as these skinny eel-shaped vessels rarely exceed 15 knots on the river and obviously much slower when docking. Meanwhile, Franz is waiting for us as we are docking.
Koblenz also waited patiently for us as we needed to have lunch first, the go to the Winery! Koblenz is a moderate sized city, with a fully developed downtown area, a cable car that goes way up across the river to an old fortress turned public space, and it is the gateway to the Moselle wine growing region. As a matter of fact, Koblenz sits at the actual confluence of the Rhine River and the Moselle River.
It was late midafternoon by the time we met Franz and his Ultra Bus (most European Tour Busses fit into this category…. All gorgeous!) who drove us up the Moselle River and into another tiny village called Winningen. Here we visited the Weingut Weyh where we met Peter the 4th generation owner. These folks have been in this business since 1919 and like I mentioned in a previous Post, are extremely proud of their efforts and heritage.
The Moselle Region is probably the most noted for its Riesling’s, a very accepted variety that goes well with anything you’d like to have with it because I am not anyone to speak about what goes with what. I am waiting for the Chocolate and Wine Pairing Event which I am sure is offered somewhere in the World!
Actually, it just means ‘Wine Sales’
It seems that around here that the Tastings be conducted down in a Cellar. I’m not sure how much this adds to the authenticity of the event as it is clear to see that not all cellars were used in the production of the vintages, but it is obvious that in this un-air-conditioned part of the world, being underground on a hot summer’s day has its advantages. And…. they do decorate it nicely. Remember, we are Tourons!
Unfortunately for Peter, he had to follow the Tasting earlier in the week in France in the Alsatian winery of Albert Seltz…. you remember them, the 14-generation guys? As good as the wines may have been here at Weyh, I could feel that the vibe in the room did not match the one at Albert’s place. So we politely drank what was offered and proceeded to buy some Weinbergspfirsich and some Riesling Senf!
Yum-yum!
Some what???
Yea! What he said?
We didn’t want to be ungrateful for the experience so some of that really hard to pronounce stuff was procured and stuffed in our bag. Some Euros (courtesy of MasterCard) were exchanged, and we can’t wait to get home and spread some Essence of Vineyard Peaches (jam) and some Riesling Mustard (not at the same time!) on our toast!
Back to the bus, back to the ship, and back to Eating! After dinner it was decided to take a ride on the gondola that swung uneasily over our heads as it worked its way up and over the Rhine to an old fortress that sits on top of a hill. Like everything else around here it had its start in Roman times and eventually became the home of the Archbishop of Trier during the Middle Ages. It is called the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and is obviously well situated to guard that confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle.
Over the years and through both World Wars it has had various duties including being a stronghold to preserve archives and valuable historical objects. It is now the home to several museums, a youth hostel, and various cultural events and concerts. Some cool rock band was playing there when we arrived, don’t know their name, but they seemed to enjoy an enthusiastic and well-attended venue. Our goal was to find the side that looked down on Koblenz, the confluence, and of course, our home, the Hlin. It took us a while to find the correct path through the fortress, and we were not helped by the fact that the daylight was slowly receding westward. In fact, we arrived at the embattlement walls just in time to see the sun set… with about 17 seconds to spare. See the attached!
This new view afforded us some gorgeous sights that far above Koblenz and of course it all looked spectacular in the night. We needed to vamoose rather quickly as we did not want to get stranded up there as the last aerial tram was at 11:00. Yes, sunset was just a few minutes ago, past 10 pm, but we are in the northern part of Germany and at these latitudes, that’s what happens! I was able to snap a few cool pics on the way down, seen here.
Tomorrow is one of the Highlights of an already memorable trip as we will be in Cologne, the site of the Cologne Cathedral. If you have already been there you will know what I mean, if you haven’t get ready to be unconditionally blown away by this exceptional Gothic edifice. I’ve seen photos, I can’t wait!
One reply on “Moselle”
I am tired just reading these posts. You guys had no down time but oh, the amazing things you are seeing.