Marc Fiedler, head of the Viticulture Service at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture takes RTL on a tour of the 40 kilometres of vineyards stretching along the Moselle. The soils change considerably as you move along the river in Wangert. Between Schengen and Stadtbredimus, Keuper predominates, producing a gentler, more rolling landscape with less steeply inclined vineyards. Fiedler explains that this geology lends a particular character to the wines: harmonious, rounded and well-balanced.
From Ahn to Wasserbillig, it is Muschelkalk that takes over. The stonier soils here retain less water, forcing the vines to send their roots deep into the earth in search of moisture. The result is a wine of a different character entirely, one marked by minerality, elegance and pleasantness.
Further along, the parcels on the Sauer feature dolomite, sandstone, and clay, before the landscape shifts again towards the Our, where slate soils dominate. The Romans, who cultivated vines here some 1,600 years ago, were well aware of the Moselle’s exceptional suitability for winegrowing. Fiedler echoes that assessment today, pointing to the region’s wonderful microclimate, its beautifully carved valleys that shelter the vines from the elements, and its solar exposure, which is ideally suited to storing heat. “All of this is why viticulture has stood the test of time on the Moselle”, Fiedler added.
The concept of terroir is often spoken of in almost mystical terms, but Fiedler takes a more grounded view, seeing it as much a social reality as a geological one. At its heart, he argues, is the winemaker. “The person who works on the terroir is part of the terroir”, he says. “A winemaker can influence his wine enormously through his work in the vineyard, from tilling the soil to defoliating and pruning, and of course in the cellar too.”
It is this human element that gives Fiedler genuine confidence in the future. “The terroir has geological components, biological components, but also social ones. On our top sites along the Moselle, we have talented and highly motivated winemakers who get the very best out of that terroir. That is why I am not worried about the future of viticulture on the Moselle.”
Asked about the Moselle’s finest locations, Fiedler says visitors are spoilt for choice. Koeppchen in Wormeldange, Palmberg, Wintrange, Felsberg, Vogelsang, the list goes on, each lieu-dit unique in character and capable of producing wines of genuine distinction.
As for the man tasked with overseeing it all, Fiedler has no hesitation in describing his role as a dream job, he said with a smile, most definitely!
