Location and landscape
Bullay is a municipality in the district of Cochem-Zell in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the collective municipality of Zell/Mosel. The town lies between the Hunsrück and the Eifel in the Mosel valley, surrounded by vineyards and forest. The municipal area is about 3.96 square kilometres, and the settlement is at an elevation of around 98 metres.
Viticulture on the Mosel slopes
Bullay lies on a long bend of the Mosel, along whose slopes the vineyard sites extend. Viticulture here has been documented at least since the first written mention in 1150. Riesling is the classic and most widely grown grape variety; in addition, Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, Dornfelder and Blauer Spätburgunder are cultivated.
The Bullayer Brautrock site is oriented to the south up to the west. Around 60 percent of the area is steep, a further 40 percent is sloped; it ranges from about 100 to 210 metres above sea level. The soils consist of weathered material of varying depth that is stony, from slate and quartzite. The name of the site has been documented since the 16th century.
Historical development
Archaeological graves and scatter finds indicate settlement during the Roman period. Bullay was first mentioned in a document in 1150 as “Buley infra Cell” and was historically shaped by several Lower Rhineland noble families.
A viticulture school founded in 1899 existed until 1989. The former state experimental estate Sonneck was subsequently closed and in 1990 sold by the state to private hands.
