Wonderful Little Gem: The Moselle Vineyard Peach

Cochem is considered the capital of the Moselle vineyard peach. You may be wondering: peaches on the Moselle? Aren’t these fruits more at home in southern regions? And what does a peach have to do with vineyards?

A piece of cultural history: the ancient Romans brought the “Persian apple” to the Moselle. Since then it has been a close companion to the vines, enriching the vintners’ kitchens while taking up hardly any space in the steep vineyards.

In April it shows its talent as a herald of spring, when its branches are covered in pink blossoms before the first green appears on the vines.

In autumn its deep red foliage adds fiery accents to the golden Riesling slopes. Nowhere can this firework of colours be experienced more intensely than around Cochem. Four fifths of all Moselle vineyard peach trees grow on the slopes of this district, which is why Cochem is known as the “capital of the Moselle vineyard peach”.

As people rediscover traditional cooking secrets and show more interest in natural, wholesome products, the Moselle vineyard peach is enjoying a renaissance.

This allows it to reveal another strength, that of an environmental guardian. For winegrowers who work the difficult steep slopes, the peach offers an additional source of income and thus helps secure their livelihood.

What does that have to do with nature conservation? A great deal. The warm dry-stone walls of the Moselle hillsides are home to a small yet remarkable community of very rare animal and plant species.

If woodland were to reclaim this habitat, it would seal their fate. Yet who thinks of such things while sitting in a cosy wine tavern, sipping a lively vintner’s sparkling wine refined with a dash of vineyard peach liqueur?

The Moselle vineyard peach is like Aladdin’s magic lamp: plain and almost worthless at first glance, but once you discover the spirit within, you will never want to be without it.

The red Moselle vineyard peach is small and firm, but its ruby-red flesh is a real delicacy, whether as jam, in a Moselle kir or as a side dish with the local dish “Debbekooche”. It even shines in exotic recipes.

It is a wonderful little gem and an important part of the culture and tradition of the Moselle region.