Hessische Bergstraße

The Hessische Bergstraße ("Hessian Mountain Road") is a defined region (Anbaugebiet) for wine in Germany located in the state of Hesse among the northern and western slopes of the Odenwald mountain chain.[1] With only 467 hectares (1,150 acres) of vineyards it is the smallest of the 13 German quality wine regions. At 21% red grape varieties and 79% white varieties, it is planted with primarily Riesling (41% as of 2018), Pinot gris (11%) and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir, 11%).[2] Hessische Bergstraße is divided into two districts (Bereiche) - Umstadt and Starkenburg - three collective vineyard sites and 24 individual vineyard sites.[3]

Topographic profile of the Hessische Bergstraße showing all the region's districts, collective vineyard sites and vineyard sites.
Vineyards around Bensheim.

The region produces mostly dry wines but does have a sizable production of Eiswein. The wines from the best producers are in a style similar to that of Rheingau.[4]

The majority of the region's wine is produced by a winemaking cooperative based in the city of Heppenheim, to which about 620 of 850 growers of the region deliver their grapes. The state government of Hesse, through the Hessian State Wineries (Hessische Staatsweingüter) is the biggest single vineyard owner with 38 hectares (94 acres) since 2008 processed in the central cellar of the state wineries at the Steinberg, Kloster Eberbach, site.[5]

Because of the small production and a location rather close to densely populated areas, most of the wines is sold locally, and it is very uncommon to see Bergstraße wines outside of Germany.

History

When the Counts of Katzenelnbogen first cultivated Riesling in 1435 the first time they already documented wine from the Bergstraße.[6] This northern Bergstraße was their property: When they died out in 1479 this part of the county came to the Landgraves of Hesse.

Hessische Bergstraße was given the status of a separate wine region in 1971.[4]

Grape varieties

The most cultivated grape varieties by area in 2018 are detailed in the following document:[7]

  • Riesling, 211 ha (48.1%)
  • Spätburgunder, 45 ha (10.3%)
  • Grauer Burgunder, 38 ha (8.7%)
  • Müller-Thurgau, 32 ha (7.3%)

References
  1. Wein.de (German Agricultural Society): Hessian Mountain Road (Hessische Bergstraße) Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine, read on January 1, 2008
  2. German Wine Institute, German Wine Statistics 2019–2020 (PDF-file; 700 kB)
  3. German Wine Institute: Hessische Bergstraße , accessed on December 29, 2019
  4. J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 345 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6
  5. Der Steinbergkeller (in German), accessed on December 29, 20109
  6. http://www.graf-von-katzenelnbogen.de/ The History of the County of Katzenelnbogen and the First Riesling of the World
  7. Landwirtschaftliche Bodennutzung - Rebflächen - Fachserie 3 Reihe 3.1.5 - 2019 [Agricultural land use - Areas under vine]. Wiesbaden, Germany: Statistisches Bundesamt. 2018.

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