Location and viticulture
Kallstadt is a municipality on the German Wine Route in the Pfalz and lies in the Unterhaardt natural region at the foot of the Haardt. The municipal area covers around 787 hectares, of which about 270 hectares are vineyard land. The village lies at approximately 150 to 156 metres above sea level.
Climate and soils
For Kallstadt, a mean annual temperature of 10.8 °C, annual precipitation of 648 millimetres and 2,126 hours of sunshine are given. Light and warmth along the German Wine Route are considered important conditions for the ripening of the grapes. The Haardt edge features abrupt changes between rock and relief; geological formations include, among other things, tertiary clay and limestone as well as Quaternary loess, terrace sediments and colluviums.
Vineyard sites
The Kallstadter Saumagen lies at the foot of the Haardt at about 160 to 200 metres above sea level and faces south-east. The VDP classification lists Riesling and Spätburgunder as grape varieties. Its soils include Terra rossa from tertiary limestone as well as deep Parabraunerde-Rigosole from Quaternary sand loess. In the Kallstadter Annaberg, a deep, sandy and well water-retentive soil made from weathered Buntsandstein shapes the site. The Kallstadter Kreidkeller has shallow, stony soils over yellow Buntsandstein.
History and winemaking
Kallstadt lay on a Roman road; archaeological evidence shows winemakers in the surrounding area for the period from about 79 BC to 390 AD. The name Kallstadter Steinacker has been recorded since 1270, the name Saumagen since 1810/36. The winery Koehler-Ruprecht cultivates 12.5 hectares of predominantly limestone-influenced vineyards, harvests selectively by hand and relies on spontaneous fermentation, old wooden casks, long lees ageing and late bottling.
