The Moselle’s meandering journey begins in the southern Vosges mountains in France. The river has many a fascinating tale to tell – as will you after enjoying this cycle route.

The biggest Roman wine press north of the Alps, where the Romans trod the grapes to make Moselle wines, was discovered in 1985 during a vineyard restructuring scheme. The fourth century site, which measures 44 by 20 metres, came to light at the foot of the famously steep Piesporter Goldtröpfchen vineyard.

Even on the Moselle, slopes do not get any steeper than this. The Calmont is the most precipitous vineyard in Europe with a gradient of up to 60 degrees. The cliff face between the Moselle villages of Bremm and Ediger-Eller is over 290 metres high. It was formed 400 million years ago in the Devonian period and consists of denuded slate, quartzite and greywacke rocks.

The art nouveau town of Traben-Trarbach on the Middle Moselle is a true monument to the importance of the Moselle wine trade. Around 1900, this small Moselle town was the most important wine trading town after Bordeaux in France. Cellars were built under large parts of the town to provide sufficient storage space.

They measure the progress of the day and are as old as humanity: until the early 19th century, sundials were synonymous with time itself – there were no other clocks. The principle is simple: a rod is fixed parallel to the earth's axis and the shadow it casts on a surface mounted in the vineyard indicates the position of the sun, and consequently the time.

Germany's Roman heritage is tangible here. The origins of Germany's oldest wine cellar at the Vereinigte Hospitien (United Hospices) estate in Trier date back to the year 330 AD when two huge warehouses, known as horrea, stood here on the banks of the Moselle. Their walls with layers of decorative brickwork were up to eight metres high and still remain intact.

Experience the biggest wine festival in the Middle Moselle region. Its highlights are the reception for the wine queen, firework displays at Landshut Castle and along the banks of the Moselle, the vintners' parade with a string of floats, marching bands and traditional dance groups from Germany and abroad. Over 30 stalls offer acclaimed riesling wines, including Bernkasteler Doctor, Zeller schwarze Katz, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Wehlener Sonnenuhr.

To drink wine is to experience the terroir. Wine often tastes much better when you have visited the region where the grapes are grown. Winninger Spital wine shop's aim is to foster an appreciation of wine. It helps that the quality of the wines made by the 17 wineries based in Winningen is outstanding. We run wine tastings and guided walks around the vineyards.

Find out for yourself about making and appreciating wine at the Bernkastel-Kues Viticulture Centre. Multimedia wine education centre and museum shop, wine shop with 150 different wines to taste in the historical vaulted cellar of the Cusa Foundation, wine bar and bistro serving nibbles and wine by the glass. The wine shop was created as a showcase for Moselle wines and viticulture.

Our wine shop in Saarburg stocks riesling wines made by all the VDP-certified wine estates in the Saar region, such as Egon-Müller-Scharzhof, Van Volxem, von Othegraven, Dr Fischer and Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, which produce exceptionally fruity and intensely sweet wines. Wines from Scharzhofberger, Ockfener Bockstein and other acclaimed vineyards can be tasted at any time and are available at wholesale prices.

The Lubentiushof wine estate in Niederfell dates back to a winery founded in 1711 for the House of Leyen. In 1994, the estate was taken over by Andreas Barth who, as a lawyer, has come from a very different background and brought a wealth of new ideas to the business. The grapes in his vineyards thrive on the slate terraces of the Lower Moselle, where they are all picked by hand because of the steep slopes.