Location and landscape
Landau in the Palatinate lies in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the Southern Palatinate, between the Rhine and the Palatinate Forest. The town and its eight districts are located in the Upper Rhine Graben. To the west, the area extends into the foothill zone of Haardtrand and the Palatinate Forest; to the east, it merges into the lowland plain of the Vorderpalatinate.
Climate and winegrowing
The town’s tourist information office documents more than 1,800 hours of sunshine per year and a growing season that is described as roughly one month longer than in other holiday regions. With 2,062 hectares of vineyard area in 2022, Landau has the largest area under winegrowing of any winegrowing community in Germany.
Winegrowing districts and grape varieties
Winegrowing is particularly focused on Arzheim, Godramstein, Mörzheim, Nußdorf and Wollmesheim. Dammheim, Mörlheim and Queichheim are more strongly shaped by arable farming. Six of the eight districts that were incorporated are historic winegrowing villages. Riesling, Silvaner, Burgundian varieties and St. Laurent are among the traditional grape varieties of the districts.
Sites and soils
The Münzberg near Landau-Godramstein is a gently south-facing slope with a gradient of 5 to 15 per cent. Its soils consist mainly of Keuper, as well as proportions of Muschelkalk, clay, sand and loam. The area of the Kleinen Kalmit near Landau-Arzheim is characterised by tertiary land snail limestone; the vineyard soils contain marl, loess and clay under a thin layer of topsoil humus. On the Kalmit, Riesling, Weißburgunder and Spätburgunder are grown above all.
