Moselle wine festivals 2027: calendar, dates and tips

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Moselle wine festivals 2027: here is the calendar and the practical advice you need. The season opens with tasting weekends in May, gathers pace in Zell on the last weekend of June and peaks between late August and the first weekend of September, when Cochem, Winningen, Bernkastel-Kues and Saarburg celebrate with parades, wine stalls and fireworks. We have checked the organisers’ own websites: where the 2027 dates are already published we give them; otherwise we tell you when each festival usually takes place.

Wine experiences on the Moselle

Three experiences we recommend

A boat trip to the festival fireworks, plus two vineyard tastings that work just as well when there is no festival on.

Evening cruise to the Cochem wine festival fireworks ★ 4.7 · 10+ reviews · 6 hrs Watch the festival’s Sunday fireworks from the river rather than squeezing onto the riverside promenade – and skip the hunt for parking in Cochem. Check prices & dates → Often sells out Bernkastel-Kues: covered-wagon wine tasting with picnic basket ★ 4.7 · 60+ reviews · 3 hrs A rolling tasting through the steep vineyards at Lieser – a calmer way to try Middle Moselle Riesling than in the festival crush. Check prices & dates → Top rated Kröv: wagon ride through the vineyards with wine tasting ★ 4.9 · 100+ reviews · 2.5 hrs A 4.9 rating speaks for itself: a local winegrower drives you up into the vines and pours the wines right there. Check prices & dates →

See all experiences in the Moselle Valley →

Moselle wine festivals 2027: the calendar month by month

Almost every wine village along the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer has its own festival, and most follow the same rhythm year after year: same weekend, same square, same winegrowers behind the stalls. The table brings together the larger and more interesting ones. Where it says “not yet announced”, no official 2027 date has been published – you will see when the festival usually takes place instead.

The big wine festivals of late August and early September

If you can only make one trip, aim for the fortnight either side of the turn of August and September. Four of the valley’s biggest festivals then follow almost back to back, the grapes are ripening on the slopes and the evenings are still warm. The downside is that accommodation in the festival towns books up early – see our accommodation tips further down.

Cochem Heimat- und Weinfest – last weekend of August

In Cochem the festival takes over the riverside promenade and the Marktplatz, which the town’s own website calls Cochem’s “gute Stube” – its front parlour. The stalls pour Riesling and Winzersekt (winegrowers’ sparkling wine), two stages provide the music and the party runs from Thursday to Monday. Sunday is the highlight: the parade winds through the old town from 2 pm, and at 10 pm the day ends with a big firework display. In 2027 the festival takes place on 26–30 August according to the town’s events calendar; the detailed programme will be published later.

Moselfest in Winningen – “Germany’s oldest winegrowers’ festival”

Winningen lies just upstream of Koblenz and bills its Moselfest as “das älteste Winzerfest Deutschlands” – Germany’s oldest winegrowers’ festival. That is the village’s and the organising association’s own description; the official websites give no founding year, so take the title with a pinch of salt. What is certain is that it runs unusually long: ten days, centred on the square and the Weinhexbrunnen, the fountain of the village’s wine witch. It opens with a reception at the historic pewter table (Historische Zinntafel), where a new honorary winegrower is named, and closes with a big firework display over the Moselle. 2027: 27 August – 5 September. Winningen has its own station on the RB 81 regional line, so it is easy to stay in Koblenz and head out for the evening.

Weinfest der Mittelmosel in Bernkastel-Kues – around the first Sunday in September

The festival in Bernkastel-Kues always runs for five days around the first Sunday in September, and the town counts it among the largest on the whole Moselle. The programme follows a set pattern:

• Thursday: a tasting evening from 5 pm along the roughly 300-metre Weinstraße, with wines served in small 5 cl tasting glasses, plus “Moselblümchen trifft Winzerkittel” – traditional dress welcome.
• Friday: the wine queen, Mosella, is crowned on the historic market square at 8 pm.
• Saturday: fireworks festival – in 2025 they were launched from the Landshut castle ruins and the riverbank at 9 pm.
• Sunday: the big parade through the old town from 2 pm.
• Monday: the locals’ favourite day, more relaxed, with a funfair on the Kues side.

In 2027 the festival runs from 2 to 6 September according to the town’s events page. If you’d like to taste Middle Moselle Riesling at a gentler pace on the same trip, add a wagon ride through the vineyards at neighbouring Lieser (see our picks at the top).

The Saar: Saarweinfest in Saarburg and SaarRieslingSommer

Along the Saar, the Moselle tributary that flows in just south of Trier, grow some of Germany’s most taut, mineral Rieslings. In Saarburg, the Saarweinfest fills the old town with wine stalls, live music and a parade; according to the organisers’ website the next edition takes place on 4–6 September 2027. The weekend before, SaarRieslingSommer usually takes place: eleven wine estates along the Saar open their cellars and tasting rooms on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, joined by guest winegrowers from other regions. Tickets are sold in advance through the organiser’s website. In 2026 it was held on 29–30 August; the 2027 dates have not yet been published.

Summer wine festivals: Zell, Traben-Trarbach and Trier

Weinfest der Zeller Schwarzen Katz – last weekend of June

Zell is known for the Zeller Schwarze Katz – the “black cat” – vineyard site, and the wine festival of the same name traditionally kicks off the run of big Moselle wine festivals. It takes place on the square and the riverside promenade, with wine from local growers, regional bands, a small funfair and street performers. 2027: 25–28 June. Zell has no railway station of its own – take the train to Bullay and the bus from there. On festival nights there has been a late-night bus from Zell Lindenplatz; check the times on the organiser’s website.

Moselwein-Festival in Traben-Trarbach – second weekend of July

In Traben-Trarbach the riverbank on the Trarbach side turns into a festival street with a wine village, a stage and live bands. The festival is usually held on the second weekend of July (2026: 10–13 July). The 2027 dates will be published by the tourist office. You can get there on the Moselweinbahn, the branch line from Bullay.

Olewiger Weinfest in Trier – around the turn of July and August

Trier has a wine festival of its own in the wine-growing district of Olewig, a short bus ride from the centre. Olewig’s winegrowers have been organising it for more than 75 years – 2026 was the 76th edition. Olewiger Straße is closed to traffic and becomes the festival street, Trier’s wine queen is crowned and on Sunday 225-litre barrels are rolled through the Brettenbach stream. Music plays on several stages in the courtyards of the wine estates. The festival runs from Friday to Monday (2026: 31 July – 3 August). Parking is scarce and the organisers ask visitors to come by public transport. The 2027 dates will be published by the organiser.

Find out more about the city in our guide to Trier.

Spring: Mosel-Wein-Woche, Mythos Mosel and Jungweinproben

Mosel-Wein-Woche in Cochem

Before the high season gets going, the wine villages of Ferienland Cochem host a five-day wine week on Endertplatz by the old Moselle bridge. Riesling and Winzersekt are on the menu, entry is free, and at 10.30 pm on the Friday the winegrowers set off a firework display that you can see well from the square. 2027: 26–30 May.

Mythos Mosel – a Riesling trail between wine estates

Mythos Mosel is not a typical street party but a weekend when wine estates across a string of neighbouring villages open their doors for tastings. The route changes every year – in 2025 it covered the villages between Detzem and Wintrich, in 2026 from Kesten to Zeltingen. It takes place, “as always”, on the weekend after Whitsun; in 2027 Whit Sunday falls on 16 May. Tickets are bought in advance and, according to the organiser, are also valid on buses and trains in the regional VRT network. The 2027 dates and estates will be published by the organiser.

Jungweinproben and spring festivals on the Ruwer

In spring, many winegrowers and wine villages present the previous autumn’s vintage at Jungweinproben – young-wine tastings. They tend to be small, local affairs announced at short notice in tourist-office calendars, so search for the village name plus “Jungweinprobe”. Along the Ruwer, a small tributary of the Moselle, the Ruwertaler Frühling festival takes place in the vineyards between Mertesdorf and Kasel on 16 May 2027. The same association also lists the Kasel wine fair on 20 November 2026 and mulled-wine (Glühwein) evenings at the winegrowers’ in November and December.

Mosel Musikfestival – concerts among vineyards and monasteries

If you’d rather listen than jostle, the Mosel Musikfestival is a good alternative. It runs from late July to early October – in 2026 with around 50 concerts between 23 July and 3 October. Concerts are held at wine estates such as Van Volxem and Maximin Grünhaus, in Trier Cathedral, at Kloster Machern near Bernkastel-Kues and in the ruins of Stuben convent at Bremm. The repertoire ranges from chamber music and organ recitals to jazz and world music. The 2027 programme will be published by the organiser, and the most popular concerts sell out in advance.

Autumn and Christmas: Federweisser, mulled wine and an underground Christmas market

Cochemer Weinherbst – Federweisser in October

Once the harvest is in, it’s time for Federweißer (often written Federweisser): cloudy, sweet, lightly sparkling new wine, still fermenting, that is only around for a few weeks a year. Cochem rounds off the season with the Cochemer Weinherbst in a big marquee on Endertplatz, with dance bands playing everything from pop to Schlager: 30–31 October and 6–8 November 2026, and 29–31 October and 5–7 November 2027 according to the town’s calendar.

Mosel-Wein-Nachts-Markt in Traben-Trarbach

One of Germany’s most unusual Christmas markets is underground. In Traben-Trarbach it is held in the town’s old wine cellars, some dating from the 16th century, lit and heated for the occasion. The cellars are not connected – you walk between them along an illuminated trail through the town. Expect crafts, decorations, regional specialities and, of course, wine and Glühwein. The 2026/27 market runs from 20 November 2026 to 2 January 2027, but opens only at weekends and on certain extra days. The tourist office gives an entry fee of €5 for adults, valid for the whole season; under-16s go free. The 2027/28 dates will be published by the organiser.

Christmas markets in Trier, Bernkastel-Kues and Cochem

• Trier: around 90 stalls on the Hauptmarkt and Domfreihof, 20 November – 22 December 2026 (closed on Sunday 22 November, Totensonntag, Germany’s day of remembrance for the dead).
• Bernkastel-Kues: 20 November – 20 December 2026 among the half-timbered houses, with the region’s largest Advent calendar on the market square, a torchlit swim in the Moselle on 5 December and fireworks set to music on 19 December. Closed on 22 November.
• Cochem: 27 November – 20 December 2026; in 2027, 26 November – 19 December according to the town’s calendar.

For more on the atmosphere, the food and practical tips, see our guide to the Moselle Christmas markets.

How a Moselle wine festival works

A German Weinfest is easy once you know the system. Each winegrower has a Weinstand, often a wooden hut with the wine list chalked up on a board, and you buy by the glass. Empty glasses go back to a stall. Usually you pay a deposit (Pfand) on the glass and get the money back when you return it – or you can keep it as a souvenir. The glasses are often the festival’s own, printed with the year.

• Order wisely: stalls usually offer dry (trocken), off-dry (feinherb) and sweet wines. Feel free to ask for a smaller tasting measure, like the 5 cl glasses at the Bernkastel tasting evening.
• Bring cash: many stalls are run by small family estates, and not all of them take cards.
• Eat something: Flammkuchen (a thin, crisp tart, rather like a pizza), bratwurst and Winzersteak are sold at the food stalls – Riesling on an empty stomach in the August sun is a classic mistake.
• Arrive early on parade day: the best spots along the route are taken well before the parade starts.

Want to know the difference between a Kabinett and a Spätlese before you reach the stall? Read our guide to Moselle Riesling.

Practical tips: where to stay, trains and who’s driving

Book accommodation early

On festival weekends in Cochem and Bernkastel-Kues, hotels and guesthouses in the festival towns themselves are often fully booked well in advance. If you have a date, book now – ideally with free cancellation. Alternatively, stay in a quieter neighbouring village or in a larger town on the railway, such as Koblenz or Trier, and take the train in for the evening. For ideas on where to stay, see our guides to staying at a winery, Moselle campsites and touring by motorhome. Motorhome pitches in the festival towns fill up fast too.

Trains and buses

If you are flying in, Frankfurt and Luxembourg are the usual gateways, with Koblenz and Trier the natural rail hubs for the valley. The railway between Koblenz and Trier follows the Moselle along its lower stretch, stopping at Winningen, Kobern-Gondorf, Cochem and Bullay, among others. The RB 81 regional train calls at every station, while RE trains only make the main stops. From Bullay, the Moselweinbahn runs to Traben-Trarbach and buses go to Zell. Bernkastel-Kues and the Middle Moselle villages have no railway and are reached by bus, for example from Wittlich. Check the last departure before you settle in at the wine table – late extra buses run for some festivals, but not all.

Still deciding when to go? Compare the festival calendar with our guide to the best time to visit the Moselle – and if you’d like to see the festival towns from the water, a Moselle river cruise pairs nicely with a festival weekend.