Wine tasting at Mosel icon, Weingut Clemens Busch
We visit Clemens Busch and discover the beautiful Mosel wine village Pünderich and the iconic Pünderich Marienburg vineyard
The Pündericher Marienburg vineyard, Pünderich - Source: Winekeller
During a recent stay in the Middle Mosel wine region - or more specifically in Reil an der Mosel, very close to the spectacularly steep slopes of the Terrassen Mosel - we decided to pay a visit to iconic top Mosel wine producer, Weingut Clemens Busch. Located in the beautiful wine village of Pünderich this was also a great opportunity to discover a new part of the Mosel Valley for us.
Our visit to the village of Pünderich Mosel
The village of Pünderich is located between our base in Reil an der Mosel (read about Reil here ) and the popular Mosel wine towns of Briedel and Zell. Zell is the border town marking the end of the steep slopes of the Terrassen Mosel region and the start of the Middle Mosel region. However, albeit less striking, the vineyard-covered slopes of the Mosel Valley are still impressive here and the scenery no less spectacular.
The Mosel makes a large loop from Reil round to Briedel and Zell and at its apex lies the picturesque village of Pünderich, almost exactly halfway between Koblenz and Trier.
The Mosel wine village of Pünderich: Source - Winekeller
Having never visited Pünderich before, but nonetheless aware of its reputation for producing excellent Mosel Riesling wines, we decided to explore ahead of our wine tasting with Weingut Clemens Busch.
The beauty of visiting Pünderich is that the main road runs through the top of the village, so a walk through this picture-postcard wine village can be enjoyed without much car traffic and it lies directly on the Mosel River, overlooked by steep vineyard-covered slopes.
The historic centre of Pünderich
The village centre is made up of meandering cobblestone streets and historic, half-timbered houses and as you wind your way down to the river there is lots of green space to enjoy and several riverside cafés, bars and restaurants. Pünderich is not only known for the stunning architecture of its 16th-18th century buildings, but also for its beautiful gardens and flowers and green spaces alongside the river. An interesting feature of the historic houses in Pünderich is their front doors, many of which are hundreds of years old, gems from the Baroque or Renaissance periods.
Take your time to enjoy this very special, unspoilt Mosel village.
Marienburg Castle, Pünderich
High above Pünderich, on the opposite bank of the Mosel, stands the imposing Marienburg Castle, formerly an Augustinian monastery and rebuilt in Baroque style.
This is definitely worth a visit and offers magnificent views of the Mosel Valley.
It can be accessed via the Mosel Ferry (in operation since 1879) which runs from the riverside in Pünderich. Note that this important ferry service connecting both sides of the Mosel at Pünderich doesn’t operate in the winter months).
About 700 metres from the Marienburg Castle lies the Prinzenkopf observation tower, which is also worth visiting and from here you can enjoy unique views across the Mosel River to the Eifel region and the Hunsrück hills.
Hiking in Pünderich
Taking a walk - or hiking - is the most wonderful way to explore and enjoy this wonderful landscape, with its rolling hills and magnificent views across the Mosel Valley. There are plenty of hiking trails, in and around Pünderich to enjoy - see here for information.
We walked a great trail from Reil to the Reiler Hals, in the direction of Pünderich and as well as beautiful views over Pünderich and the Mosel Valley we loved walking amongst the vines, with the names of the wineries and the individual sponsors on each row.
Views on our hike Reil-Pünderlich - Source: Winekeller
Sponsored vines, Reil-Pünderlich - Source: Winekeller
Getting to Pünderich
You can reach Pünderich by train, with links from both Koblenz and Trier to the nearby town of Bullay.
A regular train service - the Moselweinbahn (Mosel Wine Railway) - runs past Pünderich regularly between the stations in Bullay and Traben-Trarbach, stopping in Reil and Kövenig.
An interesting fact, especially for military/history enthusiasts: Part of the Moselweinbahn rail track uses the original ‘Kanonenbahn’ railway line - a military-strategic railway line from Berlin to Metz and near Pünderich goes over the ‘Pünderich Hangviadukt’, which at 786 metres long with 92 arches, is the longest railway hillside viaduct in Germany.
The impressive Pünderich viaduct - Source: Winekeller
Where to stay in Pünderich
If you are travelling with a caravan or motorhome there are some excellent parks in Pünderich, located right on the Mosel. We haven’t stayed here but we can also recommend Hotel ‘Zur Marienburg’ - located on the main street in Pünderich. They also have a restaurant and a café, with a lovely garden.
For more information visiting beautiful Pünderich on the Mosel, see here.
Visiting Weingut Clemens Busch
Visiting Weingut Clemens Busch takes you to one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the village of Pünderich, a historic manor house dating back to 1663, noted for its beautiful façades and intricate carvings depicting viticulture. This beautiful and historic house is located on the banks of the River Mosel and is overlooked by the steep Marienburg vineyard (see earlier).
Weingut Clemens Busch is a Mosel icon, one of the top 10 best Mosel wine producers and a trailblazer in organic and biodynamic viticulture and winemaking.
Weingut Clemens Busch in Pünderich, Mosel - Source: Winekeller
At the helm today are Clemens and Rita Busch who manage the 20 hectare estate with their son Johannes and who have evolved the estate into its current form, earning Clemens Busch an enviable reputation around the world.
Clemens was a pioneer in German winemaking, embracing organic farming in 1984, followed in 2005, with a transition to biodynamic production, not easy to achieve in this area with the relatively wet climate and steep vineyard slopes.
Membership of Germany’s prestigious VDP organisation (top 200 wine estates) reflects Clemens Busch’s commitment to quality, expression of terroir and sustainability.
Clemens Busch Riesling
As is typical for the Mosel wine region, 99% of vines is dedicated to the Riesling grape.
A range of different vineyard sites, each with its unique terroir, enables Clemens Busch to produce a braod range of Riesling wines.
The majority of vines are grown on the steep, south-southeast-facing ‘Pündericher Marienburg’ vineyard, where in the original location, beneath the Marienburg Monastery, gray slate dominates. It is from here that the grapes are harvested for the emblematic Clemens Busch wine, the Grosses Gewächs ‘Marienburg GG’ Riesling.
Other Clemens Busch vineyards include the historic Rothenpfad, where red slate dominates, located just above the Pünderich viaduct; Fahrlay, a very stony site, featuring mainly blue slate, producing very mineral-driven wines; Falkenlay, producing creamy, fruity wines; Felsterrasse and Raffes.
Clemens Busch Riesling is known for its power, intensity, purity, character and terroir-driven expression and has achieved a global cult following. Rave reviews from wine experts and wine journalists such as James Suckling have earned Clemens Busch wines an even broader following in recent years. Clemens Busch is known for its superb sweet wines as well as its wonderful dry, GG - or Grand Cru/Grosses Gewächs wines - which, especially in the mid range, offer incredible value for money and age extremely well.
Our Clemens Busch tasting
We spent a fascinating 90 minutes tasting a wide range of wines with Rita Busch and we very quickly realised why Clemens Busch wines have such a large following. They were as wonderful as we hoped they would be, from the entry-level Riesling Gutswein, to the range of GG wines, from dry to deliciously sweet.
We can highly recommend a visit to Clemens Busch to experience these incredible wines and also to discover the spectacular vineyards where the actual grapes are grown.
Conclusion
Visiting Weingut Clemens Busch was a top experience for us and we weren’t disappointed! We also loved exploring Pünderich - what a beautiful, unspoiled village. Make sure you try to spend some time here whilst discovering this beautiful part of the Mosel Valley.
