Location and landscape
Beilstein is located in the southern part of the Heilbronn district in Baden-Württemberg, around 40 kilometres north of Stuttgart. The town lies on the outlying slopes of the Löwenstein hills and includes part of the Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald Nature Park. The landscape is characterised by vineyards, orchards and wooded hills with clear differences in elevation.
Viticulture and soils
Beilstein belongs to the winegrowing region Württemberg and has around 200 hectares of vineyard area. The vineyards are located mostly on Keuper formations with clay-rich, mineral-containing soils. In higher locations above the castle and at the Schmidbach, weathered sandstone soils are also found.
Grape varieties and wine styles
The most important red grape varieties include Trollinger, Lemberger and Pinot noir (Spätburgunder). Among the white varieties, Riesling is in first place, followed by Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder and Müller-Thurgau. Other documented grape varieties are Traminer, Muskattrollinger, Cabernet and Merlot varieties, as well as fungus-resistant new breeds. Silvaner was important in the past, but today it has almost disappeared. Dry and sweet wines are produced, including Riesling, Lemberger, Spätburgunder, Trollinger and Burgunder varieties, as well as specialities from Traminer and Muskattrollinger.
Vineyard sites and winegrowing history
A written mention of winegrowing in Beilstein dates from 1338; since 1694, the wine chronicle has continuously documented the quality of individual vintages. The Schlosswengert in Hohenbeilstein is classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®. The site facing south to south-east has Gipskeuper and Bunte Mergel soils, elevations of around 270 to 340 metres and slope gradients of 10 to 57 per cent. The Steinberg has red, heat-storing Keuper and marl soils; for it, nature-oriented cultivation, reduced yields and a row spacing of around 2.9 metres are documented. In the Wartberg, Trollinger, Lemberger, Riesling and Burgunder varieties grow.
