Location and Elevation Profile
Bühlertal is a municipality in the Rastatt district of Baden-Württemberg. It stretches along the Bühl valley and its side valleys on the western edge of the Northern Black Forest towards the Upper Rhine plain. The municipal area extends from about 127 to 1,035 metres in elevation and links valley floors and vineyards with the elevations of the Northern Black Forest.
Viticulture in Baden
Bühlertal belongs to the wine-growing region Baden and to the Ortenau area. The vineyards are located on sunny slopes. Among others, documented varieties include Pinot Noir, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Traminer.
Steep Slopes and Soils
The Engelsfelsen lies above Bühlertal in a side valley of the Black Forest and has slopes with an incline of up to 75 degrees. Its skeleton-rich soils consist of weathered Black Forest rock with a light loam-loess covering and a slightly acidic reaction. The local Bühlertal granite is a biotite granite, the weathering of which releases potassium. The Klotzberg is also documented as a site within Bühlertal; a topographical feature of the same name lies at an elevation of about 509 metres.
Cultivation and Wines
The gradient at Engelsfelsen requires manual work. This includes the care of historical vines on traditional dry stone walls. Documented wines from the site are drier Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer as rest-sweet to sweet Auslese. The Gewürztraminer is selectively picked by hand, left for two days on the skins, clarified through cold settling, fermented in a stainless steel tank and aged for six months on fine lees.
Engelssteig
The Engelssteig runs publicly through the Engelsfelsen vineyard and makes the historical cultivation of the steep slope accessible.
