Location and district
Heidesheim am Rhein has been a district of Ingelheim am Rhein since 1 July 2019. The district includes Heidesheim, Heidenfahrt and Uhlerborn. The area lies between the Rheinaue floodplain and ice-age sand dunes on the southern slopes.
Vineyard sites and soils
The single vineyard Geißberg, the single vineyard Höllenberg and the single vineyard Steinacker belong in the Bingen area to the region Rheinhessen. Geißberg is made up mostly of deep, calcareous sand and is characterised by vineyards with small hedges and orchard plots. At Höllenberg, calcareous rendzina from tertiary marine deposits and sand/rigosol from ice-age wind deposits occur. Steinacker has shallow to medium-depth, very calcareous and stony sandy loam.
Wine character
The sandy soils of Geißberg and Höllenberg are associated with fruit-intensive, well-structured wines with gentle acidity; in this case, the red-wine style is preferred over the white-wine style. The calcareous rendzina of Höllenberg and Steinacker stands for expressive, aromatic wines with balanced acidity and mineral or chalky notes. For Steinacker, with increasing ripeness, aromas of citrus fruit, apple, gooseberry, mango and passion fruit are also described.
History
Archaeological finds provide evidence of prehistoric settlement and early Roman traces. The St George’s Chapel in the Rhine lowlands is associated with a villa rustica, presumably built in the sixth century. Geißberg is documented in 1587 as ahm geißbergk and was originally used as a goat pasture; historical sources report disputes over grazing rights. Steinacker has been documented since 1735 under the name steinacker.
