Bernkastel-Kues is two towns glued together by a bridge across the Moselle. Bernkastel, on the right bank, is the one that appears on postcards, with a market square of leaning half-timbered houses, including one narrow gabled building from the early fifteenth century that looks like it was drawn by a child with a wicked sense of humour. Kues, on the other bank, is where the philosopher and cardinal Nikolaus von Kues, better known as Cusanus, was born in the early fifteenth century, and his old hospital foundation still stands, with a library of manuscripts that he collected.
Above Bernkastel the ruin of Burg Landshut clings to the slope, and the vineyards run up beyond it in terraces so steep that the workers use cable rigs. This is Riesling country, and the steep slate slopes hold the heat and give the wines their mineral edge. The most celebrated slope above the town makes a wine called Doctor, the story being that a sick medieval archbishop was cured by a glass of it. Whether you believe that or not, the local sellers will tell you the story with admirable gravity. A tasting is a fair idea if you are staying the night, and a poor idea if you are riding on.
The riding here is the Moselle in its classic form. The river winds in great loops between slate hillsides, and the road follows it, with vineyards on one side and water on the other, passing village after village of pointed church towers. Tight bends and gentle curves come in a calm, regular rhythm, which makes it a very comfortable road for relaxed touring, though tractors and tourist coaches can slow things in the season. Early autumn, when the leaves turn and the harvest begins, is spectacular, and it is also crowded. Spring is quieter.
Practically, the town has everything: fuel, supermarkets, a long line of cafés and restaurants and a riverside promenade for resting. The market square cobbles are rough but short. If you want a view, walk or ride up towards the castle ruin, and look back down on the river bend. Then come down and eat something with Riesling in it.