Luxembourg wine, a small vineyard of fine whites on the Moselle

Luxembourg rarely appears on British wine lists, and when it does it’s usually for its crémant. I think that’s a real missed opportunity, and a shame for anyone who enjoys crisp whites. It’s a small vineyard, packed into a strip of the Moselle, and precisely because of that it has a very clear identity, fresh, mineral, well-made whites. Here’s what’s planted, how to read a label and which bottle I’d open if I had just one evening in the country. For visiting cellars, see the Luxembourg Moselle wine route.

Where is Luxembourg wine made?

On the Moselle, in the south-east of the country. The appellation, the Moselle luxembourgeoise PDO, covers the vineyards from Schengen, on the French border, to Wasserbillig, plus those near Rosport, as the wine institute explains on the official portal. STATEC counted 1,189 hectares of vines and 234 growers in 2025, small-country figures for a region the same portal describes as home to more than 40 cellars and estates.

The tourist board adds a detail that explains a lot. The riverside vineyards are always a degree or two warmer than the rest of the country, with the sun full on the slopes, which is why the grapes for the best wines ripen there. The Romans, it says, already prized this terroir. More on the region in Luxembourg Moselle valley.

The nine grapes, and which ones lead

The tourist board lists nine varieties, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Auxerrois, Rivaner, Elbling and Chardonnay. STATEC’s 2025 figures rank the vineyard in production like this. Rivaner and Auxerrois tie at the top with 17.9% each, followed by Pinot Gris at 16.2%, Pinot Blanc at 13.3% and Riesling at 13.1%, which is 153 hectares. Pinot Noir, the only red among the big players, reaches 11.1%.

What interests me most in that table is Auxerrois. It’s a grape you’ll barely see outside the region and here it covers as much ground as the most planted variety, so if you’re after something you can’t find at home, that’s the first one I’d order.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Remich for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Two Moselles in one

The official portal divides the vineyard by soil. From Schengen to Greiveldange, clay dominates and the wines are rounder. Further north, in Grevenmacher canton, the soil turns to limestone and the wines become finer and tauter. Wormeldange, in that second stretch, calls itself the Riesling capital and has the Koeppchen, a vineyard with slopes of more than 70 degrees and the chapel of St Donatus at the top. Luxembourg has had a wine institute in Remich since 1925. At the other end of the scale from the small growers, Caves Bernard-Massard in Grevenmacher fills nearly 3.5 million bottles a year and calls itself Luxembourg’s top family house, which gives you an idea of how far a small vineyard can stretch.

How to read a label

Every quality wine in the country carries the PDO, regulated by the European Union and checked by the state. To earn it, each wine passes an analytical and tasting exam. On the label you’ll see the terms the official portal lists, Côtes de, Coteaux de and Lieu-dit, the last naming a specific site. I’d read them as clues to where the wine comes from rather than as a ranking. The same PDO covers still whites, rosés and reds, crémant de Luxembourg and the special wines, late harvest, vin de paille and vin de glace. In autumn there’s also Fiederwäissen, which the portal lists as a seasonal special and which I’d look for during the harvest.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Remich for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

When to go and what to buy

If you can choose your dates, the wine festivals are the best way in. In the capital, the crémant and wine fair fills three days, Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026, and Wormeldange’s Riesling festival lasts three days over the third weekend of September. To buy, I’d do it at the cellar door, tasting first. For other souvenirs, see what to buy in Luxembourg. The Domaines Vinsmoselle cooperative, founded in 1921, brings together more than 240 growers, and its Caves du Sud at Remerschen offered tastings from €10 a head in September 2026. Heading home to Britain, gov.uk allows 18 litres of still wine plus either 9 litres of sparkling or 4 of spirits, so a case of crémant fits comfortably.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Remich on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Luxembourg: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

Before you fix your dates, compare tickets to Luxembourg: the same journey can cost very different amounts from one day to the next.