Location and landscape
Böttigheim is a district of the market town of Neubrunn in the Würzburg district in Bavaria, and it belongs to the administrative region of Lower Franconia. The area lies in the Tauberland natural region near the dry landscapes of the Tauber valley.
The landscape is characterised by steep shell limestone slopes and valleys in between. The valley around Böttigheim lies at an altitude of about 220 metres, while the surrounding high plateaus on the Rainberg reach up to 385 metres. The eastern ridge includes, among others, the Wurmberg, Elsberg, Kreuzberg, Sparrental and Wolfental.
Climate and soils
The regional climate is considered dry and warm. Less than 600 millimetres of annual precipitation are given for the area. At the nearby weather station of Tauberbischofsheim-Dittigheim, in the reference period 1961 to 1991, an average of 8.6 °C and 580 millimetres of annual precipitation were measured; in Werbach it was 642 millimetres.
The protected slopes consist predominantly of Lower Muschelkalk, in particular Wellenkalk. In addition, Röt layers of the Upper Buntsandstein occur, which are partly covered by calcareous slope debris. On the middle and upper slopes there are usually thin Rendzina soils; on lower slopes and on high plateaus there are also deeper Rendzinas and brown earths.
Wine-growing on the Wurmberg
In Böttigheim, wine-growing on steep slopes has been handed down, provided that the site conditions allowed it. North of the town lies the Böttigheimer Wurmberg, with vines on a south-west-facing slope above the former road to Neubrunn. The wine-growing site covers about eight hectares of vines on shell limestone in a gently sloping position.
The Böttigheimer Wurmberg is documented in the Franconian wine-growing region as a designation under wine law without a Großlage. Historically, the dry slopes were also shaped by sheep grazing and other extensive forms of use.
