Vine-growing site on the Middle Rhine
Dattenberg is a wine-growing locality in the Middle Rhine. In the Dattenberg cadastral district, the vineyard Gertrudenberg is located; it is listed as a single-vineyard site in the Loreley area and in the Großlage Burg Hammerstein under vineyard number 320102.
Location and soils
The Gertrudenberg is documented as a steep slope and is oriented to the south-west. The soils are described as greywacke with clay-rich loam, as well as weathered slate from the Sieger strata of the northern Middle Rhine. The 2024 wine-growing cadastre shows 2.7 hectares of planted vineyard area.
Climate and grape varieties
The Middle Rhine region has average annual temperatures of 9 to 11 °C, around 500 to 600 millimetres of annual precipitation, 1,400 to 1,900 hours of sunshine, and about 280 days of growing season. Owing to its valley location, it is considered thermally more favourable than the surrounding higher areas; however, sinking cold air can favour winter fog and frost. At the Gertrudenberg, among other varieties, Riesling and Dornfelder grow. In 2023, Spätburgunder, Auxerrois and Souvignier Gris were also planted.
Vine-growing and wine style
The site was expanded in 2023 and newly developed after the clearing of areas overgrown with vegetation using direct access. There, too, are vines more than 50 years old, including Riesling and Dornfelder. The wines of the Gertrudenberg are described as medium in body and fruit-forward; a Dattenberg Gertrudenberg Riesling is listed as dry. The name of the site is said to go back to the Gertrudenhof, an earlier monastery property of the Belgian abbey of Nivelles.
