Centurion IDC Autumn 2020

BlackBook Valley High

BlackBook Valley High Beyond the Vine Combining centuries of tradition with contemporary flourishes, German vintners, hoteliers and chefs are turning the Mosel Valley into one of Europe’s most compelling epicurean destinations. By Patricia Bröhm Schloss Lieser, an Autograph Collection Hotel, at dusk Y ou have to be a little crazy to do this,” says Kilian Franzen of the work on his vineyard. Looking up to the hilltops, it’s easy to understand his perspective: Bremmer Calmont, where most of Franzen’s vines are, is the steepest vineyard in Europe. The slate cliffs tower more than 300 metres above the Mosel River, with inclines of up to 70 degrees, meaning extracting grapes from this rocky soil of the mountainside is unquestionably backbreaking work. But the characterful, unique rieslings speak for themselves: Franzen’s 2017 Bremmer Calmont Riesling Großes Gewächs, for instance, is a powerhouse, with a spicy nose and distinct mineral, almost salty notes on the palate. The Mosel Valley is one of the most fascinating cultural landscapes in Europe at the moment: over the course of many millennia, the river cut its way through the valley in countless meanders, and the vineyards hang like swallows’ nests along its steep banks. Because of this long tradition, harvesting grapes here is not just a young man’s game: many of the best-known vineyards in Germany have long been at home here: JJ Prüm, Fritz Haag and Markus Molitor are all world-class. Driving along the river, connoisseurs can tick off the annual best-of checklists with the superlative vineyards they pass, from Ürziger Würzgarten and Zeltinger Himmelreich to Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Piesporter Goldtröpfchen – it’s a veritable grand-gru paradise. “This is 200 years of history, and the largest contiguous vineyard for top rieslings in the world,” says Markus Molitor, who cultivates 120 hectares in one of the region’s most prized locations. “The fascinating thing is that every vineyard in this top-tier area has its own bouquet and typicity. And we want to bring these to the fore.” Thomas Haag, of Weingut Schloss Lieser, also aims to showcase the character of every one of his 200 parcels as unadulteratedly as possible. Thomas, the son of Mosel legend Wilhelm Haag, bought the dilapidated, though once-successful, vineyard in 1997, and brought it back to its former glory as one of the region’s finest. Haag wants people to be able to taste his wine’s regional provenance and, as such, he eschews modern cellaring technology: his grapes are hand-picked and spontaneously fermented, and he allows for a long maturation in stainless steel. The vineyard once belonged to the castle of the same name, which has now been renovated to the tune of €25m in one of the past year’s most exciting German hotel openings, in a region previously bereft of topshelf accommodation. Built using local slate at the end of the 19th century, the magnificent edifice, with its ornate oriels, turrets and gables, is a spectacular mix of Dracula’s castle, a Palladian mansion and Art Nouveau frills. Inside, guests walk upon mosaic floors and Persian carpets, sleep in four-poster beds PHOTOS © AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION; OPPOSITE PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: RALF ZIEGLER, © WEINGUT FRANZEN, BENNY DUTKA 24 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM

Right: Weingut Franzen overlooks the verdant Mosel riverscape; below: Markus Molitor in his cellar; bottom: verbena-cream dome with wild-herb meringue, hazelnut ice cream and citrus compote from Rüssels Landhaus under chandeliers, and get a truly regal sense of how Wilhelm II once lived. Just a few kilometres away lies one of Germany’s most celebrated gastronomic pilgrimage sites: the Waldhotel Sonnora in Dreis-Wittlich, discreetly hidden among lush greenery. Here, Clemens Rambichler – at age 32, the youngest German three-Michelinstarred chef – is at the helm, taking over from his mentor, Helmut Thieltges, who passed away far too early in 2017. Rambichler has developed his culinary inheritance with skill and aplomb, making the Sonnora the last stronghold of classic French haute cuisine in Germany. Its wine cellar, naturally, is a treasure trove, brimming with classic Mosel rieslings that further heighten the culinary experience. To the south, Piesport – wedged in the heart of Middle Mosel – is home to another Thieltges protégé, Thomas Schanz. His hometown is deservedly renowned for the vineyards of Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, which frame the town like an amphitheatre: here, too, the steep vineyards approach impossibility at a 60 degree tilt. At the two-Michelinstarred restaurant Schanz, the talented chef’s repertoire draws on classic ingredients like foie gras, truffles and turbot, but Schanz also shows his daring with bold aromatic accents and judicious use of viticultural elements, as in his North Sea cod with bottarga, wine yeast and cardamom, which makes for an enthralling liaison of flavours. Upriver, too, there is a chef helping to transform this oenophile’s paradise into a starry gastro-hub. Harald Rüssel’s eponymous country hotel, Rüssels Landhaus, is an idyllic refuge framed by fields and forests, and his menu is an homage to the region. Whether it’s Mosel zander and crayfish or veal sweetbreads and hearts, he sources his ingredients from local producers as much as possible. The venison, however – whose back and shoulders he creatively accents with elderflower-gelée and barberry jus – he shoots himself. It’s hard to imagine a deeper commitment to this beguiling region. • The Essentials WEINGUT FRANZEN Bremm, weingutfranzen.de WEINGUT MARKUS MOLITOR Bernkastel-Wehlen, markusmolitor.com WEINGUT SCHLOSS LIESER & SCHLOSS LIESER, AN AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION HOTEL Lieser, weingut-schlosslieser.de; schlosslieser.de WALDHOTEL SONNORA Dreis-Wittlich, hotel-sonnora.de SCHANZ Piesport, schanzrestaurant.de RÜSSELS LANDHAUS Naurath (Wald), ruessels-landhaus.de CONTACT CENTURION SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 25