Regions

Ürziger Würzgarten

UER-tsee-ger VUERTZ-gar-ten

The 'Spice Garden' of the Middle Mosel, where red, iron-rich volcanic soils produce Rieslings with exotic, spicy aromas.

Ürziger Würzgarten is a steep, red amphitheatre of vines in the Middle Mosel village of Ürzig, directly on the Mosel across from the village of Erden. Its VDP.GROSSE LAGE is the prime parcel within the 53-hectare Würzgarten vineyard. High iron oxide concentrations give the vineyard its colour, and rhyolite, a rock of volcanic origin, occurs only in the commune of Ürzig.

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Location and Setting

Ürzig lies in the Middle Mosel, the stretch that also takes in Bernkastel, Wehlen and Erden. The Würzgarten is a bright red, very steep, south to southeast facing amphitheatre across from the village of Erden, directly on the Mosel River, and lies just upstream from the vineyards of Erden. It climbs from 110 to 220 metres above sea level at gradients of up to 80 percent, and its Riesling vines are planted and trained on individual posts.

Village of Ürzig, Middle Mosel
South to southeast facing amphitheatre across from Erden
110 to 220 metres elevation, slopes of 20 to 80 percent
Just upstream from the vineyards of Erden

Key Facts

A bright red, very steep, south to southeast facing amphitheatre across from the village of Erden, directly on the Mosel River
VDP.GROSSE LAGE: the prime parcel in the 53-hectare Würzgarten vineyard
Soil: weathered red slate debris with high rock content, listed in the site profile as red volcanic soil and slate
Rhyolite, a rock of volcanic origin, occurs only in the commune of Ürzig
Elevation 110 to 220 metres above sea level, with gradients of up to 80 percent
Riesling is the graded vine, planted and trained on individual posts
The name stems from the medieval tradition of making 'Würzweine' or 'spiced wines', with herb gardens planted in vineyards like Würzgarten

Soils: The Red Rock Foundation

The soil of the Grosse Lage is weathered red slate debris with high rock content, and high iron oxide concentrations lend the vineyard its lively colour; the site profile lists the ground as red volcanic soil and slate. Half of the Mosel's vineyard area lies on Devonian slate, but rhyolite, a rock of volcanic origin, occurs only in the commune of Ürzig, where it gives Rieslings from those sites a distinctive spice. The Würzgarten is the only predominantly volcanic vineyard among those that line the Mosel. It was formed some 250 million years ago, when magma escaped to the surface along a fault line and, at Ürzig, mixed with the more common slate and sandstone. Neighbouring Erdener Prälat shares the steep red slates. The amphitheatre is formed of Rotliegend rock, and a high iron content gives the site its vibrant color. The red, iron-rich soil combines rhyolite, sandstone and slate; in the Kranklei section, the red sandstone and slate soil takes its colour from iron deposits and is also known as Rotliegendes.

Weathered red slate debris with high rock content
High iron oxide concentrations give the red colour
Rhyolite of volcanic origin occurs only in Ürzig
Rotliegend or Rotliegendes: the name for the red rock and soil

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History and the Name

The name Würzgarten, which means spice garden, stems from the medieval wine village tradition of making 'Würzweine' or 'spiced wines', for which herb gardens were planted in vineyards like Würzgarten. It refers not to the taste of the wines but to that medieval custom. A document from the 13th century names the fief vintner as Godefridus Th. Wurzegard. A show herb garden exists in the steep slope today. In 1177, Pope Alexander III confirmed the Cistercian abbey of Himmerod's ownership of vineyards in Ürzig.

Classification

Würzgarten, Ürzig is a VDP.GROSSE LAGE, the prime parcel in the 53-hectare Würzgarten vineyard. VDP.GROSSE LAGE is the designation for the highest quality German vineyards, precisely demarcated by parcel, and the four-stage VDP classification was adopted in 2012, analogous to the Burgundian classification with Premier Crus and Grands Crus. Dry wines from VDP.GROSSE LAGE sites are called VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS and are bottled in a special bottle embossed with the GG grape logo, while fruity and noble sweet Prädikat wines from these sites are released on May 1 of the year following harvest.

VDP.GROSSE LAGE: the prime parcel within the 53-hectare Würzgarten
VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS: dry wines from Grosse Lage sites
VDP growers working the site: Dr. Loosen and Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt

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Notable Producers

Dr. Loosen and Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt are the VDP growers working in the site. Dr. Loosen makes Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling as a Kabinett, an Auslese and a dry GG Old Vines, plus a dry GG Réserve Old Vines labelled 'Unterst Pichter'; its GG Réserve wines mature for 24 months on the lees in traditional oak casks, followed by a further 48 months of bottle aging before release. Dr. Hermann counts Ürziger Würzgarten in der Kranklei, on the rock with the sundial, as the prime piece of the vineyard, and its Würzgarten Riesling vines are up to 100 years old and ungrafted. The Mönchhof in Ürzig is home to two independent estates: Weingut Mönchhof, which sells an Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett, and Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben, which uses controlled spontaneous fermentation in used Fuder casks for its Rieslings from the Erdener Treppchen and Ürziger Würzgarten.

Sources and last verified

Primary sources (VDP, Moselwein e.V., and the producers' own sites for their own facts): https://www.vdp.de/en/the-wines/vineyardonline/lage/4129-wuerzgarten, https://www.vdp.de/en/the-wines/classification, https://drloosen.de/en/collections/urziger-wurzgarten, https://moenchhof.de/weinberge/uerziger-wuerzgarten, https://moenchhof.de/weingut/moenchhof, https://moenchhof.de/weingut/christoffel, https://moenchhof.de/shop?weingut=moenchhof, https://weingut-drhermann.de/vineyards/?lang=en, https://www.weinland-mosel.de/de/die-region/wurzeln-geologie, https://moenchhof.de/. Secondary sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/volcanic-wines-armenia-france-germany, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/wine-regions/germany/mosel, https://www.decanter.com/wine-travel/the-middle-mosel-for-wine-lovers-520200/. Last verified 2026-10-05

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Flavor Profile

Würzgarten Riesling tends toward exotic, spicy aromas and great depth, often ripe, even slightly tropical in its fruitiness, with delicate saline and herbal notes; the rhyolite is credited with a distinctive spice. Dr. Loosen finds anise and even a hint of Gewürztraminer in some years, and its Auslese shows mango, pineapple, papaya and citrus, herbal and spice nuances, honey sweetness and lively acidity. Dr. Hermann's Würzgarten wines show exotic, fruity and spicy aromas.

Food Pairings

Spiced Asian cuisines, particularly Thai and Vietnamese dishes where the site's exotic spice notes echo the foodRich freshwater fish such as trout and pike-perchCharcuterie and cured meats where acidity cuts through richnessAged washed-rind cheeses where the wine's intensity holds its ownFruit-forward desserts including peach tart or apricot pastries with sweeter Prädikat stylesMild Indian curries where the spice character of the wine complements aromatic spicing in the dish

Wines to Try

Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling GG dry Old Vines
From the Rotliegend amphitheatre; in the estate's words, Riesling full of exotic, spicy aromas and great depth, with anise and even a hint of Gewürztraminer in some years.
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Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese
In the estate's tasting note: mango, pineapple, papaya and citrus with herbal and spice nuances, honey sweetness and lively acidity.
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Weingut Mönchhof Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett
A Kabinett from Weingut Mönchhof in Ürzig, sold through the estate's own shop.
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How to Say It

ÜrzigerUER-tsee-ger

WürzgartenVUERTZ-gar-ten

RotliegendROT-lee-gend

Grosses GewächsGROH-ses geh-VEKS

Exam Study NotesWSET / CMS

Würzgarten means 'spice garden'; the name comes from medieval herb gardens planted to make spiced wines (Würzweine), not from the taste of the wine
Rhyolite of volcanic origin occurs only in Ürzig, while half of the Mosel's vineyard area lies on Devonian slate
The VDP.GROSSE LAGE is the prime parcel within the 53-hectare Würzgarten; dry wines from Grosse Lage sites are VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS
South to southeast facing, 110 to 220 metres, up to 80 percent gradient, across from the village of Erden
VDP growers working the site: Dr. Loosen and Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt

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