My little black...sportscar!
By Dan Coward
I am very fortunate to have a little time off in December. My brother has recently purchased a small black sports car and really has the desire to drive it fast on some of those famous German autobahns. Despite the merest little voice in my head saying “doesn’t it look a bit like a girl’s car?” I have been assured that it goes very fast, turns corners very tightly and has pure testosterone running through its pipes. Added to that I don’t really know anything about cars anyway, so i should probably shut up.
The scene is set, we’re going to drive somewhere fast, do stuff, and then drive back again over the course of a long weekend. Where to go? The car doesn’t have space for golf clubs (or even a large bag for that matter), so we need to be self sufficient, with a map, some loud music and a change of socks our only companions. My wife has strictly banned us from going anywhere romantic which is probably just as well, so Paris is out the window. In her book of romance Belgium and Germany rank quite low on the scale, so i think we’ll be safe there.
My way or the highway...petition against the new motorway
So we’re gonna jump in the ‘little black dress’, speed through the tunnel, and head straight to the Belgian border. Our ultimate destination is Germany’s famous Mosel Valley. 2009 is the year to try to get to the Mosel if you can as the German government is forging ahead with a plan to build a whacking great motorway and bridge right through the middle of some of the region’s most famous vineyards and villages. Good thinking guys – it’s the vinous equivalent of plonking a McDonalds halfway up the side of one of the Pyramids.
Erni Loosen: A wine hero
I have already read what Erni Loosen thinks about it on his blog and then filled out the online petition to stop this folly. You should definitely do the same. But it didn’t really seem like enough, so my brother and I will be making the journey there to drink the world’s best Riesling, put away a mountain of different sausages and lay our extended waistlines in front of the bulldozers if we have to.
All that sounds good so far, but i’m starting to realise i need to back it up with a bit of wine research and planning too. So please leave a comment with your must-visit estates in the Mosel. Also what dish must we not leave without trying? I will be dipping into my World Wine Atlas but would love to get the gossip on where to go and where not to go. Also, if we’re crazy to be attempting this in December you could probably point that out too. In the meantime, I’m going to ask Erni what I need to shout if the bulldozers don’t actually look like stopping.
Tags: Mosel Valley, Riesling, Travel
This might sound a little dumb – but what effect will the motorway have on the vineyards? Is there any research which shows that vines will be detrimentally effected by the road?
The main effect will the complete destruction of the ones it goes right through! Imagine all the machinery, bridge-building machinery etc. It’s a HUGE job!
Apart from that, i’m not sure of the impact to the soil, or the fumes from cars – good question there. Anyone else?
This is just another attack on/disregard for wine culture (better said, culture in general) and complete disregard for nature. The fact that the construction could affect the water supply, provoke erosion and floods is just the beginning. Yes “could”, but we’ll only know for sure when it’s too late. Just like so many things “we” provoke.
Many may think “…who cares, it’s just a few wineries, just Riesling…” – but that’s exactly the type of mentality which is taking us to hell in a handbasket at breakneck speeds and winds up being regretted a little too late. As long as it’s not happening directly in our back yards, who gives a shit right?
Until we’re ready to start thinking a little further than our noses – and the politicians start thinking further than their 4 year election increments, the chaos will never stop.
I might be wrong here Finkus but I’ve heard the effect of all this needless destruction will be to cut 30-40 minutes off people’s journeys across the valley. This seems to heap senselessness on top of destruction
Yes, that’s my info as well – no more than 30 minutes.
And what gets me the most is that those in the region, who you’d think are possibly wine drinkers themselves and proud of their unique culture dating back 2000 years, were’t able to generate a louder voice against this idiotic plan – which has been in discussion for 40 years and only put through now. A plan which started at a time when “progression” was the only way and very few were thinking about sustainability… but still gets processed four decades later with building already underway.
A perfect example of how out of touch most politicians are in today’s world. Kurt Beck who pushed for this (member of the SPD) and taken a beating at the polls the past election are reaping the rewards of their forward thinking. Now if this thing could only be stopped.
Maybe I’ll become a tree-hugger after all. I just don’t like the Birkentocks with socks thang!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Finkus Bripp, Dan Coward. Dan Coward said: Riesling, sausage and bulldozers in the Mosel Valley – http://awe.sm/17ODp [...]
Finkus I can’t ever see you in Birkenstocks and socks really…though you do need to find a way to hug those Mosel trees and vines.
I think i’m going to stay in Bernkastel when I’m over there – would that be the best plan?
Living in the area I can give the low-down on hotels and vintners who are against the bridge. There is a nice Hotel in Ürzig called Moselschild, and its restaurant is one of the best in the area. There is another Hotel in Zeltingen called Zeltinger Hof.
It is easy to find out which top vintners you should visit. Go to this page and scroll down to ‘Top Riesling winemakers speak out against vineyards threat’ where you can read what they have to say:
http://www.b50neu.de/html/presse/press2.html
Along the route of the B50 it is easy to spot the potential for disruption to water distribution, and that is the biggest issue for the vineyards. (I can explain this issue in more detail if anyone requests it.)
This is the campaign website in English: http://www.b50neu.de/index_e.html
Tree-huggers may well be needed… Birkenstocks obviously not mandatory – better come in your wedding suit with a glass of the best Riesling in your free hand!
Actually the locals are starting to wake up now that there are a few huge building sites. The story is finally (after 40 years) making it into the German media after being covered internationally. This could herald a sea change.
All is not lost – keep spreading the story.
Please sign this petition from DER FEINSCHMECKER, the top gourmet magazine in Germany, BEFORE 1st December!
http://b50neu.de/feinschm_e.html
enxzepge…
enxzepge…