An ancient Roman villa and some history on the first wine made in Germany.

We recently went on a weekend trip to one of the oldest wine-growing places in Germany – Bernkastel. The name already gives it away – this is one of the many places where even the Romans grew their wine. The Latin castellum has been reduced to kastel through the centuries. What stayed was the town’s significance in the local wine industry. Some of the best vineyards are to be found here. With extremely steep terrain, this is where some of the best German Riesling wines are grown.

Every time my family gets together at Christmas or for any other celebration, question number one is always who would like a glass of Crémant to drink to it. Why not Champagne, you ask? One might think a big celebration would be worth a bottle of the purest Champagne. So why Crémant? Crémant is extremely popular where I live in Saarland, Germany, because of our proximity to Alsace, France, one of the Crémant-producing areas. This not only makes it easily available (since it’s produced literally next door), but also makes it the drink of choice.

Try a thicker, sweeter version of mulled wine and drizzle it into your sparkling wine or pour it over a rich and creamy mousse au chocolat. Or be charitable and give it away as gifts to your friends.

You can use this gravy for your Christmas turkey or other poultry like goose breast (goose has a bigger tradition in Europe than in the United States). It will be delicious.

Mulled wine is a long-standing European Christmas tradition that many in the U.S. enjoy as well. Writing from the Mosel region of Germany, Eva Weirich takes us with her through the sights, sounds and smells of the German Christmas markets, where mulled wine is the beverage of choice. Try her recipe and make your own mulled wine!