Popular single-vineyard designation in Germany, usually referring to the soil type.
Durbach - Baden (Ortenau)
This west-north-west to south-south-west facing vineyard with a slope of 20 to 60% covers almost eight hectares of vines on weathered granite soil. Due to the steepness, the work is mainly done by hand. The main varieties cultivated here are Klingelberger (a special clone of Riesling) and Muskateller. Members of the Durbacher Winzergenossenschaft and the Huber Alfred winery, for example, have shares in the site.
Hattenheim-Steinberg - Rheingau
Steinberg has been a district in terms of the wine law since 1971, which is why the village name Hattenheim is not mentioned additionally, but only "Steinberger" appears on the bottle label. The Steinberg is perhaps the most famous vineyard in Germany and was already the favourite vineyard of the Cistercians of the Eberbach monastery. The Steinberg was already listed in the "Oculus Memorie" estate register in 1211 and was already enclosed by stone walls at that time. At that time, it was probably only the upper, steep and stony part of today's location. The 3.8 kilometre long and three to five metre high wall is covered with a slate roof. It covers the entire vineyard and was largely built in 1766 under Abbot Adolph II Werner von Salmünster (1750-1795). Originally it was intended to ward off grape thieves in autumn, but at the same time protected against cold air seeping in, giving the vineyard a special climatic position. In 1836, the "small Steinberg" was added.
The south and south-west facing vineyards at 133 to 235 metres above sea level with 15 to 35% slopes cover 37 hectares of vines. The medium to deep soils consist of sandy to clayey loam, with stony-gritty slate in the upper part. They have a high water retention capacity. The Riesling variety is cultivated here 95% of the time. The site is divided into two sub-areas with different microclimates. The first is the Zehnstück on the middle slope, where the best dry Rieslings grow. The second is a trellis system along the inside of the wall, from which the heat is reflected. The wines produced here are also labelled as "Steinberger Mauerwein". A Steinberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Cabinet vintage 1937 fetched the highest price of € 5,150 at the 2002 auction at Eberbach Monastery. The vineyard is the sole property of the Hessische Staatsweingüter.
Niederhausen - Nahe
The south to south-east facing vineyard at 145 to 230 metres above sea level with a slope of 25 to 55% covers eight hectares of vines. The name is derived from the very hard rock. The extremely barren soils consist of skeleton-rich, yellowish-white porphyrite with a small layer of loess. The Riesling variety is mainly cultivated here. Gut Hermannsberg, for example, has a share in the site.
Other municipalities
There are other single vineyard sites with this name in the municipalities and growing regions of Bad Dürkheim (Palatinate), Bad Kreuznach (Nahe), Beilstein (Württemberg), Bollschweil (Baden), Dalheim (Rheinhessen), Gröst (Saale-Unstrut), Guntersblum (Rheinhessen), Michelbach (Franconia), Partenheim and Wackerheim (Rheinhessen).
Durbach: © Durbacher Winzergenossenschaft
Hattenheim: © klickrhein, Frank Förster / Rheingau
Niederhausen: © Gut Hermannsberg
