Location and landscape
Königheim is a municipality in Tauber Franconia in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg and is therefore part of the wine-growing region of Baden. The municipal area includes Königheim, Gissigheim, Brehmen and Pülfringen. It comprises large parts of the Königheim valley with narrow meadow floodplains and numerous small ravines. To the north, the valley rises towards hill ridges formed from wave limestone.
Geological foundations
Gissigheim, Brehmen and Pülfringen lie on the Muschelkalk high plateau of the Heckfelder Höhe. Near Buch am Ahorn there is a Keuper claystone island. The soils of the higher watersheds consist of chalk-weathered clays with a thin layer of loess.
Winegrowing in Königheim
Winegrowing has been documented in Königheim for more than 900 years. The vineyard sites are concentrated mainly near settlements and on south-west-facing slopes; at the same time, there are numerous traces of an earlier, larger area under vines. In the Gissigheim district there are around 100 hectares of vineyards. Old dry-stone walls and characteristic stone ridges shape the traditional winegrowing landscapes.
Grape varieties and historical development
The grape varieties grown in Königheim include Riesling, Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau. Königheim belongs to Tauber Franconia, where Rivaner, Riesling and Schwarzriesling are among the leading varieties. In the 17th and 18th centuries, larger quantities of Königheim wine were sold in Frankfurt. After the appearance of phylloxera and other diseases, winegrowing declined; many vines were removed from the steep Muschelkalk slopes and from the Kirchberg. Also included among the documented vineyard sites of the municipality is the Gützenberg.
