Summary
Moselland eG, headquartered in Bernkastel-Kues, is Germany's largest winegrowers' cooperative. Around 1,800 members farm roughly 2,000 hectares of vines – most of them on the Mosel, but now also on the Nahe, in Rheinhessen and in the Pfalz. It was formed in 1968 from the merger of three Mosel cooperatives. With more than half of its Mosel vineyard area planted to Riesling, Moselland counts as one of the world's largest Riesling producers. The range spans everyday wines for food retail, the premium Goldschild line, sparkling wines, Secco and grape juice.
History
Viticulture on the Mosel dates back to Roman times – and the cooperative likes to say the Mosel has been shaped "over generations and for millennia". The cooperative idea reached the Mosel in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when many smallholders had neither cellar technology nor market access on their own.
Today's Moselland eG was created in 1968, when the regional winegrowers' cooperative of the Cochem district in Ernst, the Winzergenossenschaft Mittelmosel in Wehlen and the Hauptkellerei in Koblenz merged. In the following years further cooperatives from the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer joined, and Bernkastel-Kues became the permanent headquarters.
From 2000 onwards, Moselland grew beyond the Mosel. First, members of Nahe Winzer eG from Bretzenheim were taken on. Cooperations followed with the Rietburg cooperative in Rhodt unter Rietburg (Pfalz) and the cooperative in Nierstein (Rheinhessen), which led to mergers – in 2011 with Rietburg and in 2016 with Nierstein. In 2018 Moselland celebrated its 50th anniversary. Since Henning Seibert retired in mid-2024, Marc Felten has led the cooperative as chairman of the board, together with finance director Klaus Traut.
Location & Terroir
The heart of the cooperative beats on the Middle Mosel around Bernkastel-Kues. Here the river winds in tight loops through the slate mountains, and the vines grow on steep, south-facing slopes. The Devonian slate stores the day's warmth, releases it to the vines at night and provides good drainage. The cool climate lengthens the ripening period – ideal for Riesling with fine acidity and moderate alcohol.
The members farm vineyards along the entire Mosel as well as on the Saar and Ruwer, from gentler sites to labour-intensive steep slopes. The mergers added quite different terroirs: the volcanic soils of the Nahe, the limestone and loess soils of Rheinhessen and the almost Mediterranean climate of the southern Pfalz. This lets Moselland offer Pinot varieties and red wines from warmer regions alongside classic Mosel Riesling.
Style & Philosophy
Moselland sees itself as a full-range supplier to German and international food retail, without giving up its commitment to origin. The members' grapes are received at the central winery, separated by quality and mostly aged in stainless steel to preserve the fruit and freshness of Riesling. Stylistically, the house covers the whole Mosel palette: dry and off-dry Rieslings, classic fruity-sweet Kabinett and Spätlese wines, plus Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner and Spätburgunder.
Brands and ranges
The cooperative's diversity is reflected in several brands:
- Moselland – the main brand for wines from the Mosel
- Goldschild – the premium range from selected top sites
- Rietburg Weingenossenschaft – wines from the Pfalz
- Niersteiner Weingenossenschaft – wines from Rheinhessen
- Nahetal – wines from the Nahe
- Nigra – sparkling wines from its own Sekt house
The range is rounded out by organic wines, Secco and Perlwein, mulled wine and grape juice.
Notable Sites & Wines
The flagship is the Goldschild range, which draws on only around ten hectares in renowned Mosel sites – among them the Erdener Treppchen and the Ürziger Würzgarten with its red slate and volcanic rock. For its 50th anniversary in 2018, the cooperative released a dry top Riesling from the best Mosel sites. Beyond that, off-dry and fruity-sweet Goldschild Rieslings and the Nigra sparkling wines are the house's best-known wines. Wine shops can be found in Bernkastel-Kues, Ernst, Wiltingen, Nierstein and Rhodt unter Rietburg.
Awards
As a large producer, Moselland regularly enters its wines in competitions such as the Rhineland-Palatinate state wine awards and the DLG federal wine awards, where individual wines repeatedly win medals. Its greater significance, however, lies in its structure: for many small family holdings on the Mosel, the cooperative secures the future of viticulture – especially on labour-intensive steep slopes that would hardly be viable without joint marketing.
