Last Trip of 2012 - Tasting wine at the Domaine les Béliers

The day afterwards we wanted to do something more cheerful. A wine tour! We had already visited some wineries at the Moselle in Germany and now we were going to do the same in France. And we expected things to be exactly like in Germany.

And they weren’t…

In Germany you can drive dozens of kilometers along the river, from one winery to another. In France, once you leave Metz and go south, the road is quite far from the river. I was hoping that we could stop somewhere and take a picture of the Moselle, but no such luck. Moreover, vineyards and wineries seem to be hidden; in general we almost had the impression that the Moselle wines in France are not promoted as much as they are in Germany. Luckily we had been to the Tourist Information Office of Metz and had obtained a list with wineries. Unfortunately at the end of the year some of them are closed.

After having driven around for more than an hour we found ourselves in a small village called Ancy-sur-Moselle. Finding the winery – Domaine les Béliers – was quite easy and the owner was very friendly. About 30 years ago he and his family started with the vineyard where they grow Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Auxerrois and Gamay.

We tasted the white and red wines and immediately noticed the difference with the German Moselle wines which tend to be sweeter. The owner explained everything and took his time for us, although we were only the customers at that moment. Once we had made our choice, we paid with our credit card. Just like in Germany…

The winery is located at 3, Place Foch in Ancy-sur-Moselle. From April to September it is possible to visit the vineyard and taste the wines afterwards. And during the whole year you are always welcome to taste the produce. To be recommended!

They have a website, but it’s only in French: www.domainelesbeliers.com.

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