Roman Wine Press (Piesport)

The largest Roman wine press ever found north of the Alps. This 4th-century treading floor processed grapes from the same steep slopes that produce Piesporter Goldtröpfchen today. A direct, unbroken connection between Roman and modern winemaking.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Stand Inside a Roman Wine Factory Built for an Emperor History · Free

   The largest Roman wine press ever found north of the Alps. This was not a villa garden press — this was imperial-scale industrial production.

   Where: Römische Kelteranlage Piesport, meadow 'Im Briesch', western outskirts of Piesport (between Alt-Piesport and Ferres districts). The site is covered by an open roofed protective structure — walk-up access at any time. GPS: approx. 49.8852, 6.9118.

   What: In 1985, archaeologists from the Rhineland State Museum were clearing land at the foot of the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen vineyard when they found this: a 44-metre-long, 20-metre-wide pressing complex with 10 rooms and 7 grape-juice basins, built in the 4th century AD. One hundred and thirty workers processed 60,000 litres of grape mash here every harvest — yielding 30,000–40,000 litres of wine per year. Scholars who studied the scale concluded this was almost certainly supplying the imperial court itself. Trier — Augusta Treverorum, western Roman imperial capital — is just 44 kilometres downriver. The wine made on these exact slopes may have been poured at the table of emperors Valentinian I and Gratian.

   How: Walk to the press and look for the reconstructed wooden screw press — a massive vertical screw driving a stone weight down onto the grape mass, turned by 6–8 workers walking in circles. Find the fumarium: a small smoke chamber where the Romans placed sealed amphorae over a heated hearth to artificially age the wine by smoking it. Even the poet Pliny complained the taste was too smoky — but Roman drinkers loved it. Guided tours run April–October, Saturdays at 5 PM; registration via info@piesport.de or Tel 06507-2025. Outside tour times, the open structure lets you walk through freely.

   Backup: If the site is unexpectedly closed, walk to the foot of the Goldtröpfchen vineyard immediately behind Weingut Reinhold Haart (Ausoniusufer 18) — the second Roman press found in 1992 was discovered adjacent to the winery.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Climb the View Ausonius Wrote 483 Lines About Adventure · Free

   The Roman court poet stood above Piesport in 371 CE and wrote his Mosella poem. The horseshoe meander and amphitheatre of vines are unchanged.

   Where: Großer Moselblick (Great Moselle View) viewpoint, above Piesport. Start from the Heiligenhäuschen car park on the upper road above the village. Follow signs to the Panorama-Wanderweg (5 km round hike) — the viewpoint appears after roughly 1.5 km. GPS approx: 49.8930, 6.8990.

   What: The Moselle here makes a dramatic horseshoe meander — the river wraps around three sides of the Piesport peninsula. Every face of that peninsula is south-facing vineyard. This is precisely why the Romans chose this spot for their largest press north of the Alps: maximum sun on all sides, river reflecting additional heat onto the vines, natural protection from cold northern winds. Decimus Magnus Ausonius — tutor at the Trier imperial court, later consul of Gaul — made this journey in 371 CE and was so moved he wrote the Mosella, a poem of 483 Latin hexameters. He described these steep hills as a 'natural amphitheatre covered with vines.' You are standing at his exact vantage.

   How: From the viewpoint, identify the three main elements: the horseshoe river below, the Goldtröpfchen amphitheatre of vines on the near face (this is the vineyard the Romans pressed), and the village of Piesport tucked at the water's edge. The Roman press is at the bottom of those slopes — look for the roofed structure near the western edge of the village. The view shows you the geography that justified building an imperial wine factory here.

   Backup: If hiking is not possible, the B53 Moselweinstrasse road approaching Piesport from the Bernkastel direction offers several pull-off points with river and vineyard views, though less dramatic than the Großer Moselblick.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Taste the Wine from Slopes Romans Pressed 1,700 Years Ago Wine · Price: moderate

   The Haart family has owned vines in Piesport since 1337. Their winery stands adjacent to the Roman press. Seven centuries of wine on slopes cultivated for seventeen.

   Where: Weingut Reinhold Haart, Ausoniusufer 18, 54498 Piesport. This is the riverside street named after Ausonius — the Roman poet who wrote about these exact vines. The winery is physically adjacent to the Roman press site. Tel: (0049) 6507 2015, email: info@haart.de.

   What: The Haart family has documentary evidence of owning vineyards in Piesport since 1337 — that's 700 years of continuous wine history on slopes that were being worked 1,700 years ago. The current estate is VDP-rated (Germany's top producer association) and is now run by Johannes Haart. Their flagship is Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling: the amphitheatre vineyard above the Roman press, growing in deep, weathered Devonian slate that absorbs heat during the day and radiates it into the cold Moselle nights. The Riesling that comes out of that soil is not like other German Riesling — it carries honey and apricot from the warmth of those south-facing walls, and an iron-mineral bite from 400 million years of compressed slate.

   How: Call or email ahead to arrange a tasting (tastings for up to 20 people, appointment required). Ask for the Goldtröpfchen Spätlese — the extra ripeness from this amphitheatre site shows most clearly here. While tasting, ask Johannes which vineyard parcel sits directly above the Roman press. The grape called Elbling — still grown in the Mosel — is believed to be a direct descendant of Roman plantings. Ask if they have a bottle. The Romans didn't have Riesling. But they stood in the same place, looking at the same river, and knew this was somewhere worth making wine.

   Backup: If Haart isn't available, any Piesport Goldtröpfchen Riesling will do — buy from the local Winzerkeller (cooperative cellar) in the village. The terroir is the story, not any single producer.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Dine Three-Star in the Village the Romans Made Famous Wine · Price: very high · Optional

   Piesport has 2,000 inhabitants, a Roman imperial wine press, and a three-Michelin-star restaurant. Thomas Schanz chose this valley for the same reason the Romans did.

   Where: schanz.restaurant., Piesport, Rhineland-Palatinate. Book via schanz-restaurant.de. Advance reservation essential — 4–8 weeks ahead for weekends.

   What: Thomas Schanz earned his first Michelin star within one year of opening in 2011, his second in 2015, and his third in 2022 — putting this tiny Moselle village on the same list as the world's best tables. He trained under three-star giants Harald Wohlfahrt, Klaus Erfort, and Helmut Thieltges before returning to take over his family's business here. The restaurant's wine list includes local Piesport producers — meaning you can sit in a three-star dining room, eating Schanz's signature Trüffel-Ei (a whole eggshell filled with truffle foam), drinking a Goldtröpfchen Riesling from the vineyard you stood in that afternoon, 200 metres from where Romans made wine for an emperor. This is the ultimate expression of why this valley has mattered for 1,700 years.

   How: Book the tasting menu via schanz-restaurant.de. Opt for the full multi-course version. Ask the sommelier for a Piesport wine pairing — specifically request Goldtröpfchen producers from the village. The setting completes the day's arc: from a 4th-century industrial wine factory to a 21st-century three-star table, all within 500 metres of each other.

   Backup: If Schanz is fully booked, Moselstube in Piesport serves local wines by the glass and good regional cooking. Order Riesling with whatever fish they have — you're eating the same river-fish-and-local-wine combination that Roman legionaries ate in Trier 2,000 years ago.

   Log Memory