Wine estate Desom

Dynamic winemaker Marc Desom has breathed new life into an estate long known for its entrepreneurial approach. Initially merchants, the Desom family branched out into wine production in 1925. They draw a distinction between wines produced from the family vines (Domaine Desom) and those made with grapes purchased from winegrowers, often under very long-standing contracts (Caves Desom).

The main cellar building bears witness to an eventful past. Backing onto a cliff that can still be seen inside, it was built as a tinning works in the early nineteenth century. This industrial heritage continued with attempts by a Luxembourgian celebrity, writer Edmond de la Fontaine (whose pen name was Dicks) to set up a steam mill here ... although with limited success. The subsequent owners were timber merchants, who finally sold the building to Peter and Albert Desom on 26 December 1925. They used it to sell wine, eau-de-vie, fruit, and all sorts of wholesale food. Nowadays, it is a cutting-edge site following its expansion and modernisation in 2003.

Visitors are mainly drawn to the Pavillon Desom, a wine bar and restaurant where they can enjoy the house vintages while watching barges drifting along the Moselle either sat on the terrace or in front of the huge patio doors. The architecture is resolutely modern while also blending in with local features, echoing the colour of the limestone from which the cliffs are hewn.