From just south of the ancient Roman city of Trier, north to Koblenz, where it empties into the Rhine, the Mosel River snakes its way past dramatically steep, slaty slopes covered with some of Germany's most famous vineyards.

The wines of the Mosel and its tributaries, the Saar and the Ruwer, are richly fragrant, pale in color, light-bodied with a lively, fruity acidity. The slaty soil imparts a distinctive taste to Mosel wines, ranging from fine-fruity to earthy, or "flinty". Riesling wines of great elegance and breed grow best on the steep, southern-facing slopes

The key towns and villages on the Mosel are:

• Koblenz
• Treis-Karden
• Cochem
• Zell
• Urzig
• Bernkastel
• Piesport
• Trier