Au

Au is an independent municipality in the Hexental valley south of Freiburg im Breisgau in Baden-Württemberg. The Hexental lies between the Schönberg massif in the west and the Black Forest in the east and was shaped by the main fault zone of the Upper Rhine Rift. Au stretches from about 285 metres in elevation in the northern Hexental to around 643 metres at the Illenberg in the south-east.

For the foothill zone of the Hexental, which Au belongs to, average annual temperatures of around 9.0 to 9.5 °C and an average annual precipitation of around 900 to 950 millimetres are given. Au was first mentioned, according to the municipality, in a document dating from the year 861.

A vineyard in Au is already documented for the year 868. The single-vineyard Auer Altberg comprises only a few hectares and is described as one of the smallest single vineyards listed in the German vineyards directory. The soil remains covered with vegetation throughout the year; grasses and herbs are mown. Fertilisation is carried out mostly with cattle manure from the associated operation, and work from vine pruning to grape harvest is done by hand.

For the Auer Altberg, dry wines made from Gutedel, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder, Chardonnay, Müller-Thurgau and Sauvignon Blanc are documented. They are listed as German Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein, including Kabinett. The grapes are gently pressed; the young wine is looked after in the producer’s own cellar up to ripeness and bottling. The wines are developed predominantly dry and treated with little sulphur.