The Moselle River is famed for its wines – German wines. But the Moselle actually begins in France, coming out of the Vosges Mountains, rolling along its way through the northeastern corner of France. Where France and Germany and Luxembourg meet, the Mosel begins, where all three countries lay claim to Moselle/Mosel wines of note. But this is not an article about German Mosel wines, nor about Luxembourg’s Moselle wines either, as they have already been done. (See here for Germany, and here for Luxembourg.) Rather, this is about the French Moselle wines and wine country, which is far less known, and quite new as an appellation.
This section of France is great walking country. Challenging enough to be a good walk, yet not so difficult as to discourage most day hikers. It is certainly a quiet, and fairly remote area, in this busy part of the world. Trier, Luxembourg City, and Metz, France, are only an hour or so away. So, when I found myself in this part of France, I detoured to hike the Stromberg Circuit, and sample some of the French Moselle wines.
Just before the Moselle becomes the Mosel, there is a great little town known as Sierck-les-Bains. Across the river, in the village of Contz-les Bains, grapes grow in lush vineyards, facing mostly south climbing up and down the steep sides of the cliffs lining the river. In this small area, literally steps away from Germany and Luxembourg each other there are a couple of vineyard hikes. I chose the one identifying with one of the named vineyards of the town, the Stromberg.
The trail begins in town, by the church, easily identifiable by its steeple, rising high above the village. The village lies close to the Moselle, but the vineyards lie above it, overlooking the river, on the sides of the Stromberg hill (or small mountain, depending on your perspective), which can be short-sighted when on the incline.
But before coming to the vineyards, the trail passed by some interesting architectural features, to include an old church, hidden in a quiet glade, and a part of a castle complex. Given that the powerful Dukes of Lorraine held the castle on the heights on the opposite bank of the river, in Sierck-les-Bains, I should not have been surprised. This castle was probably less impressive, even in its heyday, but it undoubtedly worked in tandem with its bigger neighbor to control the river and road network in the area.
Once atop the hill, a massive rock face bore the signs of intensive quarrying. Up here, vines replaced trees, and I had my first wide-ranging views of this part of Lorraine. Green clad hills rose to the east, and the flat plateau of Lorraine began to the west. The Moselle twisted its way to this hill from the south, as I looked upriver, seeking any sign of the beautiful Vosges Mountains.
As the trail turned north, it followed high above the river. Sometimes in view, but more often hidden by the dense vegetation that covered the lower reaches of the hillside. The trail more or less continued following the course of the Moselle downriver, before turning into more vineyards, then forest. At this point, a serious stair-climb ensued. But shortly after arriving atop the stairs, I was pleasantly greeted by a sign indicating I was about to enter Luxembourg. Downstream, across the river, was Germany.
The trial continued just south of the border to an impressively large section of vineyards on the other side of a small valley. Hiking yet again through forests and vineyards, I marveled (on a warm, late June day) at the good combination of sun, shade, vineyard and forest that this trail encompassed along its relatively short length. I was also glad to be completing the final leg as a descent.
Once back in sleepy Contz, I headed to my car, and drove a short distance across the river to Sierck. There, with several restaurants to choose from, I selected one known for its regional wine selections, and enjoyed a couple of glasses of AOC Moselle wines, with a fresh baguette, and a wonderful homemade quiche – Lorraine, of course.
