Within a few years, Andreas Bender has managed to establish himself as a producer of high-class Moselle and Palatinate wines that offer a lot of drinking pleasure and an excellent price-quality ratio. Bender, who now cultivates more than 20 hectares of steep slopes on the Moselle, produces unique, polished and long-lasting Rieslings from special single vineyards on the Moselle and Saar. In addition to Riesling in all its variants, his Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris from the steep slope are also popular character wines. In addition, he cooperates with winegrowers in the Palatinate who produce grapes for him according to his high-quality specifications. He attaches great importance to careful vineyard work, looks for the best locations and selects the best grapes for his wines.

The Mosel wine region, located in western Germany along the winding Mosel River and its tributaries, is one of the country’s most celebrated viticultural areas. Known for its steep, terraced vineyards—some of the steepest in the world—it benefits from a cool continental climate moderated by the river, which reflects sunlight and retains warmth, aiding grape ripening. Long, sunny autumns allow for extended hang time, producing grapes with intense aromatics and balanced acidity.

Soils are dominated by heat-retaining slate, both blue and red varieties, which store warmth, promote excellent drainage, and impart distinctive minerality to the wines. This terroir, combined with the region’s climate, creates ideal conditions for Riesling, the star grape of the Mosel. Smaller plantings of Müller-Thurgau, Elbling, and Pinot varieties also exist, though they play a supporting role.

Mosel wines are celebrated for their lightness, finesse, and purity of fruit. Rieslings range from bone-dry to lusciously sweet, often displaying aromas of green apple, white peach, lime, and floral notes, underpinned by a hallmark slate-driven minerality. The best examples show vibrant acidity and remarkable ageing potential, developing honeyed, petrol-like complexities over time. The region’s wines are prized for their elegance, balance, and ability to vividly express their unique origin.

Pinot Blanc is a white grape variety, believed to have originated in France’s Burgundy region as a pale-skinned mutation of Pinot Noir. It shares genetic similarities with both Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, which explains its versatility and adaptability in the vineyard.

Viticulturally, Pinot Blanc is moderately vigorous and relatively early-ripening, performing best in cooler climates where it can retain acidity. It is sensitive to rot in damp conditions but generally resilient to cold, making it suitable for regions with short growing seasons.

Today, Pinot Blanc is planted across Europe and beyond. In France, it is important in Alsace, where it produces still and sparkling wines (notably Crémant d’Alsace). In Italy, it is known as Pinot Bianco and widely grown in Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Germany and Austria cultivate it as Weissburgunder, while it also thrives in Luxembourg, Switzerland, and parts of Eastern Europe. In the New World, plantings exist in Canada, Oregon, California, and Australia.

Wine styles range from crisp, unoaked expressions with citrus, apple, and floral notes to richer, barrel-aged versions with hints of almond and brioche. At its best, Pinot Blanc offers a harmonious balance of freshness, subtle fruit, and gentle texture, often described as elegant and understated.