Briedeler Herzchen Wine Festival with Dragon Boat Race

Briedel is one of the many small wine villages of the Middle Mosel, nestled between Cochem and Traben-Trarbach. With its approximately thirteen hundred inhabitants, steep vineyards, narrow alleys, and location directly on the water, it is a typical representative of Mosel romance. The Briedeler Herzchen wine festival is the annual major event with which Briedel presents its vintners and its location.

The name Briedeler Herzchen refers to the shape that some of Briedel's vineyards form in the landscape – a detail that expresses local identity in a nutshell. The festival takes place on the third weekend of July and uses the Mosel promenade as its main stage. For three days, the wines of the Briedel vintners will be served: dry Rieslings, semi-dry Spätlesen, Auslesen, sparkling wine, Müller-Thurgau, Spätburgunder. The wine selection is accompanied by relaxed gastronomy with classic Mosel specialties – Winzerbraten (vintner's roast), Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart), Flammkuchen (flatbread), Bratwurst (sausage), sweet crepes – and live music from pop, folk, and Schlager on a smaller stage.

The highlight is the traditional dragon boat race on Sunday, July 19th. Teams from the region, often formed from clubs, companies, or groups of friends, compete against each other in the long, narrow boats with about twenty paddlers in a race on the Mosel. The teams paddle to the rhythm of the drum, the audience on the promenade cheers them on, and the spectacle attracts hundreds of spectators. Afterwards, the award ceremony takes place at the festival grounds, followed by the festival's conclusion in the late evening. Admission to the festival is free; registration for the dragon boats is handled by the local municipality of Briedel in early summer.