Rhine & Moselle Valley

The Rhine and Mosel Rivers form the backbone of Germany's wine-growing regions, which are home to some of the world's most distinctive white wines. The Mosel River begins in France and flows into Germany where it twists sharply for 150 miles (250 km) and deposits into the Rhine on its way to the North Sea.

The Rhine valley wines are often medium dry white wines, which has led to the term “Rhine wine” being used for white blends and Rhine-inspired wine. The Mosel Valley is similar and is included when describing 'Rhine' wines. 

Several wine regions are located along the Rhine River, including Alsace in northern France and Nahe, Rheinhessen, Mosel (formerly Mosel-Saar-Ruwer), Pfalz, and Baden, in Germany.

4 Types of Grapes Used to Make Rhine and Mosel Wines

Many grapes are grown near the Rivers (including red wine grapes), but these are some of the best known.

Riesling: Riesling is perhaps the most famous grape grown in the Rhine and Mosel River Valley. Its reputation was built on sweet white wine, but it can also make a dry wine.

Müller-Thurgau: A cross between Riesling and reliable Silvaner, this early-ripening German variety has notes of peach.

Gewürztraminer: One of the most popular Alsace grapes, Gewürztraminer produces full-bodied, intensely aromatic white wines.

Pinot Gris: Although it originated in Burgundy, Pinot Gris is most popular in Alsace, where it's used to make rich, dry wines.

What does the wine taste like?

Rhine and Mosel valley wines vary immensely in taste. In Germany, designations for different styles of wine include Kabinett and Auslese. Wines designated as Kabinett are the lightest and least sweet of the German wine system. Auslese wines are sweet and high in alcohol, often made with grapes affected by noble rot.

Macs Adventure has been running self-guided walking holidays in Germany since 2008.  Whether you like mountains and hills, lakes, rivers, dreamy villages and well preserved medieval cities, Germany has something to offer for everyone. This abundance of wonderful places to explore led us to seek out more and more areas to help people discover Germany on foot. 

From humble beginnings, we now send over 2000 walkers to Germany every year, each walking the route that excites them the most. We provide the freedom to choose your route, itinerary and travel companions and discover Germany at your own pace. 

We know how daunting it can be, setting off on an adventure of this scale and we quickly realized how important it was to have amazing partners on the ground in Germany to deal with any issues that you might come across.  We are proud to say that we work incredibly closely with all our accommodation suppliers and luggage transfer teams, and should you have the slightest issue, they will fall over themselves to help you out. 

We offer a flexible, tailor-made hiking experience that gets you comfortable, friendly overnight accommodation in local B&Bs and guesthouses. We carry your bags to lighten your load so you can concentrate on simply putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the unique culture, food and scenery of Germany. No hostels, no leaky tents, no heavy bags on your back just a straightforward active holiday that you can book with confidence that we have it all covered for you. 

We want to showcase our expertise by giving you all the resources you will ever need.  We have free guides, comprehensive videos, and a host of staff with their own German experiences in the planning stage, waiting to answer your questions. On the route, we use high-quality digital mapping and the best maps and guidebooks to make sure you find your way.  

We love the diversity of walking in Germany, and our main aim is to make sure that you do too.