Braubach on the Middle Rhine
Braubach is located in the Middle Rhine in the Rhine valley and is surrounded by vineyards. The areas under vine are on steep slopes; the Marmorberg is regarded as a particularly steep vineyard site.
Sites and soils
The individual sites Koppelstein, Mühlberg and Marmorberg are assigned to the larger site of Marksburg. Marmorberg and Koppelstein lie in the Middle Rhine growing area, in the Loreley district; Koppelstein also extends into the town area of Lahnstein. On the Marmorberg, clay slate and quartzite soils are listed. The microclimate described there favours the ripening of Riesling.
Grape varieties and wines
At the Marmorberg, Riesling and Spätburgunder are documented. On around 2,500 square metres, there are 642 Riesling and 442 Spätburgunder vines. The wines are mainly made dry and semi-dry. The Spätburgunder is produced as Weißherbst: the grapes are pressed before fermentation, resulting in a wine with a light rosé colour. Winegrowing is carried out there by hand using traditional methods; bottling and labelling are also done by hand.
History of winegrowing
As early as 691, Braubach was first mentioned in documents in connection with the donation of a vineyard. This is considered the first written evidence of winegrowing on the right bank of the Rhine. In 1897, 32 winegrowers from Braubach founded the Braubach Winegrowers’ Association and used premises, barrels and equipment in the Philippsburg. The first winegrowers’ festival took place in 1925; Johanna Schupbach was crowned Braubach’s first Wine Queen.
