Although German wines are not as famous worldwide as French ones, the country produces many interesting varieties. It’s generally acknowledged that Germany’s best wines come from the Mosel river valley, where many small wine producers ply their trade. This is a picturesque and hilly area, and growers take advantage of the steep slopes along the Mosel, which give the grapevines better exposure to sunlight than they would get on level land. The most popular Mosel wine, Riesling, is named after the variety of grapes that it’s made from. Because the region is farther north than its Mediterranean competitors, temperatures are cool on average, which gives Mosel wines a lower alcohol content and a more “flowery” flavor. Wine production has a long history here, dating back to Roman times. Indeed, historians believe that the vineyards spread eastward from the city of Trier, which was the main Roman outpost at the time. Nowadays there are many small family-owned wineries, some of which date back five or six generations.