2025 is a special year for Luc Roeder. He has been President of the Miselerland LEADER Action Group since October. We meet him in Steinheim, his home town. This is where he grew up and where his grandparents lived. Not far from the modern passive house in which he lives with his wife and two children, a new building is currently under construction: his own winery. The first barrels are stored at the back of the shell of the building. The 2025 vintage is maturing in them - for the first time under his own roof. Until now, Luc Roeder has had his organic wines vinified by organic winegrowers on the Moselle. Luc Roeder calls part-time viticulture a hobby that he enjoys sharing with his wife, but one that requires time, patience and great dedication.
Wine from the Sauer
The grapes do not come from the Moselle itself, but from the Hëlt, a sunny south-facing slope above the Lower Sauer. Viticulture has been practised here for over a thousand years. The location is a special feature, a geological and cultural island. The oldest Elbling in Luxembourg probably grows on the Hëlt, on vines that were probably planted before 1900. Today, the area is a national nature reserve and part of the UNESCO Global Geopark Mëllerdall.
Together with three other winegrowers from Rosport, Luc Roeder cultivates this special vineyard. Even as a teenager, he dreamed of growing grapes there and began saving up to buy his own small vineyard as soon as he finished his training. He was able to afford the first 12 ares 16 years ago and now owns 84 ares.
Biodiversity between vines
Luc Roeder's main job is as a forester in Manternach. He is a trained environmental technician and his view of viticulture is an ecological one. „Every bottle of wine contributes to the maintenance of the cultural landscape,“ he says. He is not only concerned with the product, but also with the interaction between soil, plants and animals. Organic cultivation was therefore a matter of course for him.
The narrow terraces are not accessible by tractor, so the grapes have to be harvested by hand. This allows the winegrower to be particularly selective when choosing the grapes. He has painstakingly restored the supporting dry stone walls himself. By avoiding the use of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilisers, many animal and plant species have settled here. Rare orchids such as the bumblebee orchid or the purple orchid now thrive in the areas where dry grassland has formed.
„Every bottle of wine contributes to the preservation of the cultural landscape.“
Luc ROEDER
The peculiarities of this terroir arouse curiosity. Many consumers, including an increasing number of tourists, are interested in the origin and history of the wines. Oenotourism, says Luc Roeder, is more than just a trend. Accordingly, he is involved in the LEADER programme in both Miselerland and Müllerthal. As a direct marketer, he is active in the „Mëllerdaller Producers“, which is supported by LEADER. As a board member of the Luxembourg Winegrowers' Association, he has also been the president of LEADER Miselerland since autumn 2025.
What convinces him about the programme? „LEADER is aimed at everyone living in a region. The thematic diversity makes it a powerful instrument for advancing the region.“ Luc Roeder seems to have a willingness to break new ground anyway - a quality that should also benefit him in his new role as Chairman. Text and photos: Martine Hemmer
