Mittelrhein

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The Mittelrhein wine region extends between Bingen and Bonn, including the adjacent Siebengebirge, over a length of more than approximately 110 km.
• Viticultural land in the Mittelrhein valley lies at elevations of roughly 55 to 350 metres above sea level, with vineyard sites averaging 170 metres above sea level.
• The vineyards of the Upper Mittelrhein valley are oriented mainly south-east to south-west, while viticulture in the Lower Mittelrhein valley is dominated by sites with a south to south-west aspect; on average, the vineyard sites show an aspect of 168° (SSE).
• Devonian rocks predominate throughout the Mittelrhein valley, with widespread occurrences of quartzitic sandstones and clay slate, and subordinate iron- and chert-bearing slate as well as quartzites.
• Around Königswinter, Tertiary trachytes, trachyte tuffs, basalts, and latites occur as volcanic extrusive rocks, testifying to a period of former volcanic activity.
• The vines root mainly in soils derived from Devonian slate, with brown earths (Braunerden) and regosols predominating, while para-brown earths (Parabraunerden) are widespread on fertile loess and loess-loam.

• The small-scale structure and steep-slope character of the vineyards limit mechanisation, and as a result they require intensive manual labour.
• For Prädikat wines, the grower may improve grape quality and the concentration of grape constituents during the growing season by leaf-removal in the bunch zone or by crop thinning.

• The intensive management of steep-slope sites has a stabilising effect on yields and substantially promotes the quality of the harvested fruit with regard to minimum alcohol level, aromatic expression, and acid balance in the wine.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Germany

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-DE-A1269
• Official trade body site — Mittelrhein-Wein e.V.