Location and landscape
Alsbach-Hähnlein lies on the slopes of the Hessische Bergstraße, about 15 kilometres south of Darmstadt. The Alsbacher wine-growing area is located at the foot of the Melibokus, a mountain 517 metres high and the highest peak in the Bergstraße. The Hessische Bergstraße forms the transition between the Upper Rhine Plain and the Vorderen Odenwald and is usually at elevations of around 120 to 220 metres.
Climate and soils
The region has a mean annual temperature of over 10 °C, few frost days and around 750 to 800 millimetres of annual precipitation. The Odenwald provides protection from cold easterly winds, while south-westerly air currents favour an early spring and a long growing season. Geologically, the Hessische Bergstraße lies between the eastern Upper Rhine Graben and the western Odenwald; granite, granodiorite and diorite shape large parts of the subsoil. On the lower slopes, among other things, windborne sand, sandy loess and loess can be found.
Winegrowing in Alsbach
Alsbach belongs to the Starkenburg area and marks the northern start of the more contiguous vineyard areas of the region. The officially registered single vineyard Alsbacher Schöntal is assigned to the large-scale vineyard Auerbacher Rott and to the Alsbach municipal district. Wines from the Alsbacher Schöntal are described as full-bodied and highly expressive. For the Hessische Bergstraße, fresh and robust wines are also characteristic, as are fine, fruity white-wine styles. Important grape varieties include Riesling, Grauburgunder, Spätburgunder, Müller-Thurgau and Grüner Silvaner.
Historical context
Alsbach is documented in the Lorsch Codex for the year 773. The present-day municipality of Alsbach-Hähnlein was formed in 1977 through the merger of the previously independent municipalities of Alsbach and Hähnlein. The Hessian part of the Bergstraße has been an independent German winegrowing region since 1971.
