They were battalions in golden armor ready to do battle in the valley. But these vines would never cross the Mosel River. Such a maneuver would have been suicidal. Riesling needed exposure to southern sun and a steep incline in slate-rich soil that furrowed in stormy weather. The steeper the slope, the better the wine. It had been this way since the eighteenth century, and no one would have dreamed of experimenting with new vines in the valley near Niederemmel, except to make Qualitätswein mit Prädikat, so-called superior quality wines like Kabinett de Moselle. No one, that is, but Fritz Loewenberg, with his light wines containing less than eight percent alcohol. Loewenberg himself drank only his honey-scented and delightfully sweet Goldtröpfchen, except on certain special occasions. According to some, he was the richest man in Piesport. Benjamin thought this could be true. But the man’s production was minor in relation to his ambitions. He had set his sights on Saint Émilion.
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