Location on the Moselle
Ernst is a municipality on the Moselle in the Cochem Moselle bends and is described as a winegrowing community on the river. The municipality belongs to the Lower Moselle, the Terraced Moselle. There, the valley narrows; vineyards are often on steep slopes and on narrow terraces supported by dry stone walls.
Viticulture and soils
Winegrowing in Ernst covers around 150 hectares of vineyard area. Slate soils and steep slate sites shape the local wine-growing areas. Riesling is the most important grape variety grown; in addition, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder, Chardonnay, Spätburgunder, Kerner, Bacchus, Dornfelder and Ebling are documented. The wines include Moselle wines characterised by Riesling from flat sites and steep sites, as well as white and red wines from Burgunder grape varieties.
Single vineyards
In the official directory of single vineyards, Feuerberg and Kirchlay are listed as single vineyards in the district of Ernst. Feuerberg comprises 17.3 hectares of planted vineyard area, Kirchlay 23.3 hectares. Both names are registered legally as single vineyards.
Historical evidence
Ernst was first mentioned in a document for the period from 9 October 777 to 8 October 778. Later forms of the name are “infra villam ernesce” from the year 1150 and “Ernsch” from the year 1309. A find from the La Tène period as well as the transmission of Roman winegrowing point to a long-standing tradition of settlement and viticulture.
