Piesport

Piesport (2,200 inhabitants) is mentioned for the first time in the year 776/777 in the golden book of the Benedictine Abbey of Prüm as "postage pigontio" (Port of Bigontius - a local Roman deity to whom the site was consecrated) in connection with a vineyard alienation.

However, this place experienced a centralized viticultural significance much earlier. This is made clear especially through discoveries that have been made at the boundary of the famous wine facility "Piesporter Goldtröpfchen". During land clearing work, workers came across remnants of Roman period wine presses (from the 4th century and 2nd century CE) whose size could infer an already-significant wine-growing area at the time. The wine press from the 4th century has been faithfully restored. Overall, this wine plant included seven pools and several cellars. The size of the mash tank and the storage capacity of the basement suggests that the former was used for at least 60 hectares of vineyards.

For the roman wine festival, a yearly event in the beginning of october, freshly picked grapes are vinified on two days, according to the Roman model, with a reconstructed tree press.

In addition to the wine presses, other finds underline the richness of the Piesport Moselle valley during the Roman period. In 1950, a late-Roman burial site with three sarcophagi, which are now placed near the Müstert chapel, was found. From one of the sarcophagi, a magnificent cage cup, a double-walled wine goblet cut from one block, was salvaged. The golden "imperial brooch ", also a find from Piesport, provides a similar testimony. It is dated to the year 315/316 AD. The brooch is a valuable garment clasp which held the Romans' robes together over the shoulder. None other than Emperor Constantine gave it to a worthy citizen in this room during his 10-year jubilee.

Additional attractions in Piesport include the Baroque parish church of St. Michael with its elaborate ceiling paintings (1776/1777), the rock massif "Moselloreley", a Roman milestone, several chapels and roadside crosses and old wine cellars and cloisters.

In the wine farms of Piespont, around 400 beds in quality-controlled private rooms and selected apartments are prepared for guests, with another 200 beds available in hotels and country inns.

Today, the winery Piesport is built on an area of approximately 420 hectares of vineyards. The most famous Piesport vineyard is called "Goldtröpfchen" ("Gold droplets"). The wines of the adjacent individual layers of "Günterslay" to " Piesporter Treppchen" vie for the best quality with the "Piesporter Goldtröpfchen" with vintage after vintage. Wines from Piesport are exported all over the world. They find particularly good sales in English- speaking countries, in Scandinavia, the Benelux countries and Japan. The main reason for this is probably the unique character of full-bodied taste and the diverse flavors of the Piesport wine.