Location and landscape
Bornheim is a municipality in Rheinhessen Switzerland and belongs to the wine-growing region Rheinhessen. The municipal area lies in the hilly country of Rheinhessen and covers 445 hectares. Bornheim is one of the comparatively low-rainfall places in Germany and has an above-average number of sunshine hours.
Viticulture and history
Within the cadastral area, there are 106 hectares of vineyard land. Bornheim is assigned to the wine-growing district of Bingen and the Großlage of Adelberg; Hähnchen and Kirchenstück are designated as single vineyards. The wine-growing tradition is at least 1,200 years old. Bornheim was first mentioned in a document in 768, with vineyards already being named. Before the Second World War, Silvaner was grown predominantly.
Sites and soils
The Bornheim Hähnchen lies at an altitude of 162 to 272 metres and is oriented from the north-east to the north-west. The site includes calcareous loess and warm volcanic rock. At the Bornheim Kirchenstück, loess-pararendzina and mergel-pararendzina occur; the latter is a calcareous clay soil formed from tertiary marine deposits.
Wine style and grape varieties
The loess-pararendzina of the Hähnchen is combined with lighter, refreshing wines of moderate structure, while the proportion of volcanic rock supports aromatic Pinot wines. At the Kirchenstück, loess soils produce fine-fruited, refreshing wines; by contrast, mergel soils produce fuller and more powerful wines. Pinot grape varieties are cultivated in the Hähnchen; in addition, Weissburgunder, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are documented from the Kirchenstück.
