Location and landscape
Bornich is a municipality on a right-bank plateau above the Middle Rhine and lies on a spur of the Taunus. The municipal area includes the Loreley plateau and the settlement of Loreley. The vineyards associated with Bornich and St. Goarshausen lie on slopes falling steeply down to the Rhine, oriented from south to south-west. Their soils consist of weathered greywacke and slate.
Winegrowing in the Loreley area
The single vineyard Rothenack is located in Bornich and belongs to the Loreley area of the wine-growing region Mittelrhein. Under the name Bornicher Rothenack, 3.3 hectares are cultivated. In total, the vineyards in the cadastral districts of Bornich and St. Goarshausen cover 5.5 hectares, of which 4.5 hectares were consolidated in 1974. The grape variety planting consists of 78 per cent Riesling, followed by Müller-Thurgau and Spätburgunder with 7 per cent each, as well as Kerner, Regent and Grauburgunder.
Wines and maturation
The wines are described as young, fresh and lively, with fruit shaped by slate. The range includes dry, gently sweet and sweet wines. For the Rothenack site, among others, dry Rivaner, gently sweet Johanniter and Riesling, gently sweet Regent, dry Grauburgunder and Riesling Beerenauslese are documented. The Loreley Riesling Sekt is produced through bottle fermentation and riddling.
Historical references and protected designation of origin
A document from 1138 records the donation of two vineyards from the Bornich area to the St. Goar monastery. Winegrowing in Bornich can be traced back to 1245. Bornich belongs to the legally demarcated protected designation of origin Mittelrhein, under which protected name, among other things, Qualitätswein, Prädikatswein, Sekt b.A. and Qualitätsperlwein b.A. are marketed.
