>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."

>> ♪ No, take me home ♪ ♪ Take me home where I belong ♪ >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.

♪ ♪ >> [ Singing indistinctly ] ♪ >> This is a story of adventure, understanding that every step of the journey is vital.

This is the story of Evergood.

♪ >> My name is Liora Levi.

>> And I am Yolanda Año.

>> Wine is my passion in life.

I am a sommelier traveling the world.

>> Am I am a food enthusiast.

>> In each episode, we will travel through the most beautiful wine regions of Europe, selecting three wines that define the area.

>> And we will bring those wines to very talented chefs and challenge them to prepare amazing dishes based on the wine.

>> Will the chefs succeed in making a dish of such a quality that it matches the wine?

It all remains to be seen, as we put wine first.

We are in the famous wine mecca known as Mosel Valley in the western part of Germany.

The valley's sides along the curvy Mosel River are extremely steep, causing temperatures to rise high, making the area very well suited for growing grapes.

The Mosel Valley is all about white wine and, in particular, Riesling.

Our mission is to find three specific wines that reflect the area and present them to renowned Michelin chef Harald Russel.

So, we have here three very interesting wines.

>> I hope they match good to the food.

>> His challenge is to cook three separate dishes that match the unique taste of each particular wine.

As the Riesling grape is the star of the region, where better to begin our search than at one of the largest producers of Riesling in the region?

Ernst Loosen is located just outside the quaint town of Bernkastel, and he is a giant in Mosel wine-making.

>> Being in the wine business is holiday on Earth every day!

[ Laughter ] [ Liquid pours, cork pops ] >> His Dr.

Loosen winery is known for its award-winning quality of Riesling produced through many generations and exported to about 80 countries around the world.

Wow, what a view to wake up to every morning.

>> Basically, these are the largest continuous vineyard, as far as I read it, in Europe, you know?

That's all from Bernkastel, all the way down there to Zeltingen.

That's 500 hectares in one piece of Riesling, you know?

And Riesling is the queen of the German grapes.

>> Because it's not the king of German grapes.

It is the queen.

>> It's the queen.

It's the most beautiful one.

[ Laughter ] Riesling is a grape variety which very much expresses the terroir, the soil, you know?

It is elegant, has a lot of finesse, but it needs the right soil to express this elegance and finesse and delicateness, you know?

>> To fully understand the link between the soil and the wine, we have to travel up the steep vineyards to the grapevines and the volcanic soil from which they grow.

Let's go!

[ Laughs ] On the way up, we pass the famous Wehlener Sonnenuhr, or Wehlener sundial, which is still fully functional and tells you the time.

I find all this little village so charming with the flowers, the balconies.

>> It's very remote, very steep slopes.

>> Blazing red and insanely steep, the Urziger Wurzgarten, or Spice Garden of Urzig, fills the picturesque amphitheater, formed by a dramatic bend in the river.

>> And there's our sign!

There's the vineyard!

>> High iron content in the soil gives the vineyard its vivid color.

It produces wine with exotic, spicy aromas and a mesmerizing earthiness.

No other vineyard on the Mosel produces wine so bursting with tropical fruit flavors.

>> So, we're in Urziger Wurzgarten now, right?

>> Yes, we are in the famous Grand Cru Urziger Wurzgarten.

We are standing in the old part of Wurzgarten.

You see these beautiful cliffs here, and here this is the soil.

This is this red volcanic soil.

>> See, I want to taste it.

>> Well, I mean, you can -- >> That's your muffin.

>> [ Laughs ] It's nice and spicy, huh?

>> It's very spicy.

No, but what I like about tasting the rocks or the soil is that it gives you a special dryness on your tongue.

It gives you a little hint of the texture that you might expect in the wine later on.

>> Yeah, definitely a wine which we have to taste, you know, because it's so unique for here, just for the Middle Mosel, you know?

>> It's time to taste the stone-driven wines from the vineyards.

We head down to the Dr.

Loosen mansion and into the wine-tasting room, where satyrs, angels, and even Bacchus looks down upon us from every angle.

>> The angels have a Riesling party in Heaven, you know?

>> Our mission is to select one of three wines to bring to the chef's challenge.

Starting with a 2018 Riesling Trocken Blauschiefer, Ernst tries to revive the dry Riesling style of his grandfather... >> My great-grandfather always said, "Wine has to be dry.

Sweetness doesn't belong to wine," you know?

>> ...and comes from a parcel of the Loosen vineyard where the soil is pure blue slate.

>> This is basically the backbone of our wines.

This gives this kind of beautiful, minerally-driven acidity to the wine.

Even that it is a dry wine, there's only 12% alcohol, you know?

Internationally nowadays, 12% alcohol is not high, especially if you look to the New World, where the wines are now 14% to 15% and higher.

>> The next wine is from a familiar place -- the 2013 Urziger Wurzgarten Reserve.

>> This volcanic soil gives a totally different aroma structure as the slate soil.

It's more herbal.

That's the reason it's spice garden, you know?

>> Totally understand the spices you're talking about.

>> The spices, you know?

And that's the reason -- This soil gives more spicy aromas.

That's the reason it's called spice garden.

>> The last wine is a bit of a contrast to the others, a 1997 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese.

>> Next wine is the same vineyard, and I thought it might be interesting.

My great-grandfather and grandfather from my father's side made only dry wines, as we just tasted, you know?

But the family of my mom -- they produced in the last 100 years only fruity-style wine.

It has cassis, you know?

Cassis?

>> It does, very much.

>> This is so typical for old Riesling from the red-slate placard.

You know, this could be pure cassis, huh?

Pure cassis.

And the elegance and the finesse, you know?

It's beautiful.

>> Well, I think that Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Trocken 2013 -- >> Well pronounced.

[ Laughs ] >> I've been working hard on that.

I think it's a perfect choice for the challenge because, like we've been talking about, it's old traditions, and it's also a beautiful middle way between the young, fresh wine and the older, richer style.

In the middle one, we have a bit of both, and I think it's a very food-friendly wine.

And it's rich enough to take a little bit richer dishes, as well.

And it's very easy.

The name says Urziger Wurzgarten -- and you said it yourself -- it means "spices," herbs, and herbs is what I think we should give to the chef as a challenge to make this dish with.

>> I absolutely agree.

>> Excellent choice.

I mean, that would be also my choice, you know?

I'm even more happy that you choose it, you know, and that I didn't have to convince you!

[ Laughter ] Cheers!

>> To tradition.

>> Yes.

To the tradition.

>> Before we leave Dr.

Loosen, volcanic soil, and Riesling heaven, Ernst wants to challenge us a bit.

He wants us to experience what it's like to harvest, traveling up and down the steep Mosel vineyards in the rusty monorail.

Uh-oh.

And I'm scared of heights!

>> Are you feeling nervous?

>> [ Laughs ] >> I think I'm okay.

>> Aw!

You guys don't -- You guys don't have to be afraid.

>> Have you done this many times?

>> Yes, I have done this many times.

>> Ready.

Ahh!

>> I'm impressed with the view, the vines, but also terrified by the altitude.

Makes me think of the hard work pickers put into manually harvesting each and every grape in extremely steep valleys so that we can enjoy delicious wines.

To find our next wine, we move from one of the biggest producers of the area to a smaller, but very unique one.

Mosel-born Philipp Kettern and Portuguese Daniel Niepoort run Fio Wines, a small winery situated in the steep slopes of the wine-growing town of Piesport on the Middle Mosel.

Their partnership started when Philipp met Daniel's father, legendary Portuguese wine producer Dirk Niepoort, who recognized Philipp's talent for wine and taught him about wine in Portugal.

Daniel became friends with Philipp and moved to the Mosel.

Voilà!

The Fio Wines Niepoort-Kettern project was born.

[ Liquid pours, cork pops] >> In Piesport, really special, we are like in an amphitheater.

So, the mountains goes completely around the village and protecting the vineyards, the village completely from the normal climate.

And it makes a special microclimate also for our wines.

So, it's making that long, long ripeness period for our Riesling grapes, and it makes the wine such special.

You're having that ripe aromas with a nice, elegant, fresh acidity.

>> And when you make wine with a lot of time and you have high acidity, what we do -- it's something beautiful.

>> You have to taste a year in the wine.

You have a hail in the summer, like, that -- You can feel it.

When you're having the ideas about, you can feel it in the wine.

>> "Fio" means "thread" in Portuguese, and the common thread of their philosophy is stress relief, according to the Fio duo.

And, boy, do we ease into their way of thinking, as we try local family specialities with the wine.

The harmony of this, the acidity on the dressing of the salad, which, by the way, I can see that it's all organic, and then the saltings of the meats -- well, with the acidity of the wine, it goes fantastic.

>> It's really simple, but fantastic taste.

>> It looks delicious.

>> And it's cooked in Riesling.

>> Cooked in Riesling?

>> Ahh!

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers!

>> Cheers!

[ Laughter ] >> We head up to the vineyard to make a decision of which Fio wine to bring to our chef Harald for his challenge.

>> What options did you bring for us?

>> I bring for you a 2018 Goldtropfchen Kabinett from the vineyard site where we've been in a moment.

And the Kabinett is the most unique predicate from the Mosel.

It's standing for lightness, freshness, elegantness, a bit of charming sweetness, and yet a totally dry after-taste.

It makes fun.

It impress you.

It's a Mosel lemonade.

>> Mmm.

Lemonade of the Mosel.

Not too bad.

Next up is a wine the duo is particularly proud of.

>> The Falkenberg 2016... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...which is aging 18 months in a barrel.

So, we are giving the wines the time that they need.

It's a dry-style wine now.

It's coming now from higher vineyards, and the wine's standing for crystal-clear elegance.

>> It's also an area what is cooler and fresher, so it makes a kind of sense.

>> Yeah, when you do nothing in the cellar and the wine get the time that they need, the wines are balanced, the wines are stable, you need nothing, no chemicals.

>> The final wine, a Fio Riesling 2012, is also the result of maturing a long time without adding chemicals.

>> This wine, two years minimum on the least, without sulfur.

That makes it also a little... >> Opener.

>> ...opener, and then we bottle it with a little sulfur, no filtration, leave it for two years in the bottle.

And then you can start to drink it or not.

[ Laughter ] >> Or wait.

>> Exactly.

It's getting better.

>> I definitely see a common thread throughout the wines with the aging and the lack of additives, but one has made a special impression.

>> Tough choice.

>> Tough choice, really tough choice.

Three very nice wines.

But to be frank... the Falkenberg is basically what your philosophy is -- having a thought in your head on what a wine should be, and then just making that wine.

>> I really like the idea of the blending because I'm all about all the mix of flavors that enhance everything and make it even better.

So I couldn't agree more.

>> Is there anything specific that you would like to give the chef as a hint for what he can, like main ingredients or something?

>> It's a really fresh wine, a really elegant and crystal-clear style, so it's pairing really good with fish.

>> What kind of fish lives in this river?

>> "Pikepeach."

>> Pikeperch.

>> Pikeperch.

Pikeperch.

[ Laughter ] But that fish is one of the finest fish you find in the Mosel because the water is really, really clean, and that fish eats just the best food, the small fishes.

>> Cheers, guys.

[ Glasses clinking ] And look at this view.

>> I hope Harald will choose pikeperch with its pure white meat, mild taste, and flaky texture.

It could be perfect with the wine.

Before we decide on the last winery to visit in our search of perfect Mosel wines, Yolanda and I decide to travel to some of the many castles in the region.

The legendary Karthauserhof estate is a place of fairy tales, and it's the eighth-oldest wine-growing estate in the world.

Officially founded as a monastery in 1335, it was a gift to the monks of the Carthusian order by the Prince of Luxembourg.

Since 1811, the same family has run the estate, and current owner Albert Behler wants to show me the region -- from above?!

♪ Up, up, and away!

>> Enough with the sightseeing and the castle tours.

It's time to get back to work.

It's time to find our final wine.

>> We have traveled all the way down south in the Mosel Valley, and we're about to visit one of the larger producers in the area.

>> Indeed.

Roman from Van Volxem, and he's actually one of the tallest men I ever met.

[ Liquid pours, cork pops ] Van Volxem is one of Germany's most exciting wine producers, where the owner, Roman, has turned an almost forgotten property in Mosel's Saar region into 40 hectares of vineyards planted with Riesling.

Roman wants to honor the legacy of the regional Saar wines.

He aims to recreate the excellent worldwide reputation of these wines which they enjoyed around 1900.

>> It's a great time for Mosel wine now, and it's mainly because of the two aspects -- global warming and movements towards low alcohol.

These are the two big topics in food and wine industry.

>> Roman wants to bring the past into the future through a state-of-the-art winery with a sustainable approach to all areas of production, protecting and respecting natural resources.

[ Laughing ] Wow!

Look at this!

Even the wine cellar is inspired by nature, as it resembles a beehive in which the barrels are stored like bees store honey.

Fascinating.

Let's taste the fruit of Roman's labor.

It's time to choose our final wine.

>> I see a big bottle, Yolanda.

>> Oh!

We start off with the Alte Reben Riesling 2008.

>> This Riesling, it's my Alte Reben, "old vine."

It's one of my most important wines, and there's something very important.

In my wine, you never smell alcohol.

As you know, global warming has a very, very strong influence and impact on wine.

And I don't like alcohol.

I like wine, but I don't like the people to feel bad.

And, to me, wine should be -- [chuckles] should make people happy, but not drunk.

>> This wine is 11 years old, and it tastes like -- >> I think this is like drinking gold.

>> Yeah, but a very fresh... >> Liquid gold.

>> ...young gold.

[ Laughs ] Very fresh, young gold.

I'm curious to how we can top liquid gold as we move on to wine number two, the Scharzhofberger Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2008.

>> It is a very fine blue slate, only small minerals, and it's -- and you can smell the minerals.

You can get this impressionesses.

This is 2018.

It has just been bottled.

>> I haven't tasted it yet.

I'm just smelling still, and [sniffs] the aroma's just -- >> Herbs.

You get the herbs?

>> They keep coming.

They keep coming.

Tasting wines can be a little bit tricky.

You have a glass of wine, you smell it, and it smells of much more than only grapes.

You can find flavors like strawberries, cherries, flowers, apples, pears, cinnamon, soil, anything!

But to recognize these aromas is quite the hard part.

You need to make kind of like an archive in your head with the aromas and flavors you already know to be able to recognize them in wine.

[ Sniffs ] The aroma's just -- >> Herbs.

You get the herbs?

>> They keep coming.

They keep coming.

It's just -- [ Sniffs ] >> It's warm, but it's beautiful, isn't it?

>> It is fantastic.

And now the final wine -- the Scharzhofberger Riesling 2013.

>> And now the last wine.

This is Scharzhofberger again, Grand Cru.

"Grand Cru" means "very best site."

I do read a lot of documents -- historic documents, historic books, and when I am by myself alone in the evening and I read a book from 1860s or '70s and '80s, I feel this.

I feel this atmosphere of the 1860s, '70s, and '80s, and it's like a time machine.

And then I taste something like this, and it's exactly the way I want to make my wine.

>> Well, so far, I think you've succeeded very well.

The Van Volxem Scharzhofberger 2013 it is, no doubt.

To me, this just sums it up.

It's the best vineyard and everything, and I think that this is the wine we should present for the chef for the challenge.

What do you think, Yolanda?

>> Of course I love the three of them, but I always try to find a balance, you know, between food and wine.

And in this case, this wine have definitely the backbone to hold and to step up with the red meat, which normally you will not hear me saying that.

>> Fantastic.

>> So, let's see if the chef can cope with this challenge, huh?

>> Perfect.

>> Cheers to that.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers to that.

[ Glasses clink ] ♪ >> Our search has ended.

It is time to bring our three selected Mosel wins to chef Harald Russel.

His challenge is to cook three different dishes that match the flavors of each respective wine.

The tastes are many and varied.

[ Liquid pours, cork pops ] We start off with a dish to go with Fio Wines' Falkenberg 2016.

As the main ingredient, Harald listened to Philipp and chose pikeperch... >> That fish is one of the finest fish you find in the Mosel.

>> ...a typically local fish that lives in the Mosel River, sought after for its clean taste, tender meat without bones, and superior flavor.

He combines the fish with oysters and tapioca mixed with a little acidity from oranges.

He also includes fennel, apple, and smoked ham to add to the flavors.

>> We expect something very fresh and something what is made with a lot of love.

>> Hopefully the sauce is not that heavy so it can be pairing really well.

>> Will the smoky aromas, the creaminess, and the salty elements of the dish be light enough to match the acidity of Philipp's and Daniel's wine?

I think the minerality of the wines and the little pepper-ness works good to the smoky aromatic, and also the balance from the salty part of the oysters.

So, it works to the wine, I think.

>> What's on top on this here?

>> Fennel.

>> Ah.

It's kind of sweet pickled, huh?

>> And what about the wine match?

>> It's nice when a cook tries a wine and make a dish for the wine.

Not very usual.

>> It's hard to interpret Philipp and Daniel's reaction.

We'll get the final responses soon enough, though.

The next wine is the Urziger Wurzgarten from Dr. Ernst Loosen.

The name says Urziger Wurzgarten, means "spices," herbs, and herbs is what I think we should give to the chef.

For this wine, Harald has yet again chosen fish as the central ingredient, specifically flamed char.

>> There's a little bit oil under it, and then we flame it a little bit so we get it a little bit colored.

>> Char is a typical river fish, you know?

We're living on a river.

You know, here is the Saar, where we are now.

We are on the Mosel, you know?

And the freshwater fish, you know, is the natural, you know, combination with our wines because they eat it over hundreds of years.

>> He combines the fish with a celery and potato salad, including vinegar, oil, veal stock, and, last but not least, wild forest herbs.

Herbs are important to the dish in order for the food to complement the wine, and there are an abundance of them in the dish.

Has Harald managed to find the right herbs to complement the exotic and spicy earthiness of the wine?

>> Well, let's taste it.

>> Ernie, this is a great wine.

Thanks.

>> Thank you much.

>> Urziger Wurzgarten.

>> Yes.

>> [ Laughs ] I know.

You guys have your problems to pronounce "Urziger Wurzgarten," you know?

>> Ernst is picky and known for his finely tuned sense of taste.

Hopefully this dish will be a match to his favorite wine.

It is a tough crowd to please, no doubt.

The last wine is the Van Volxem Scharzhofberger.

Harald is going out on a limb on this one by making an untraditional choice.

He will combine Riesling with red meat!

This wine have definitely the backbone to step up with the red meat.

The dish consists of venison hunted from the region, combined with spicy couscous.

Venison?

>> Yeah.

>> That's a really adventurous combination.

>> Yeah.

And we have some nice-flavored things with the couscous.

It's very spicy, so it goes good with the wine.

>> Harald is one of the best chefs in Germany, and he's now had Michelin stars for 28 years.

I'm sure that he combines it with some herbs and with some -- some aromatic stuff he takes from the forest.

>> You know, I come from Argentina, and for us it's like red meat, red wine, which normally works great.

But a white one?

Mm.

I want to -- Curious, really, really, indeed, how that goes with venison.

Will the meat be a match to the dry Riesling wine?

It is hard to read the facial expressions, but they are eating and drinking.

The producers have emptied their plates and glasses, and it's time for Harald to get their reactions face-to-face.

Will it be a success?

>> So, ladies and gentlemen, you enjoy your food and the wine tasting?

>> Well, I have to say it's very nice that somebody tasted our wine and made something so beautiful out if it.

>> The creaminess of the natural tapioca texture with the sauce and the acidity of the wine, of the Falken wine -- it was beautiful.

>> It's really like a symphony together.

>> I think you are a good wine taster because what we want to make with the wine is something very straight, fresh, and you made the perfect component to fit with that.

>> Thank you.

>> I'd say that qualifies as a success.

Next up, Ernst.

>> I had the char with my wine.

It was quite a creamy dish, you know, with some creamy sauce, and the spices, some spicy -- What was it?

Fennel?

Fennel seeds, no?

>> Well, of course what grows together goes together.

I cannot repeat it enough.

For me, it works beautifully.

This extract sweet flavors from the wine.

It works so good with the saltiness of the fish.

>> Well, you know, spice garden and spices in the food -- you know, that, I think, is a perfect match, you know?

So, in this case, two thumbs up!

[ Laughter ] >> That's not bad!

Finally, Roman, known to be a harsh critic and a perfectionist.

>> To be very honest, I love red wine, and I would love to have a great Pinot from Burgundy or a great Bordeaux.

>> Uh-oh!

Which direction is this going?

>> But luckily, this Riesling has aged, and a flavor and a rich flavor, to be a great match with this fantastic dish.

>> Wild meat to a wine white -- that was my biggest wonder.

And it just -- Well, it opened my eyes.

>> What I like about your dish is that it's very silent.

It's like Italian opera music.

It's so -- It makes me happy.

People are dancing.

And it's only -- It's a great atmosphere, and it made me so happy.

And I want to just say thank you.

This is a great match.

Thanks so much.

♪ >> A triple success, and it doesn't get much better than that.

A toast marks an end to our tasty trip of the Mosel Valley, where we have traveled up steep hills, along the vines and the vineyards, on the Mosel River, and high up in the air.

What a rush, a great adventure.

So long, Mosel.

>> For more inspiration, visit us at winefirsttv.com.

>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."

>> ♪ No, take me home ♪ ♪ Take me home where I belong ♪ >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.

♪ ♪ >> [ Singing indistinctly ] ♪ >> This is a story of adventure, understanding that every step of the journey is vital.

This is the story of Evergood.

♪