Location and landscape
Dittelsheim-Heßloch lies in Wonnegau, a sub-region of Rheinhessen, in the district of Alzey-Worms in Rhineland-Palatinate. The municipality is located at the foot of the Kloppberg, which almost reaches 300 metres and shapes the hilly landscape. Viticulture dominates the agricultural structure.
Vineyard sites and soils
The municipal area includes the vineyard sites Leckerberg, Pfaffenmütze, Mönchhube, Kloppberg, Geiersberg, Liebfrauenberg, Edle Weingärten and Mondschein. Geiersberg, Kloppberg, Leckerberg, Mönchhube and Pfaffenmütze are single vineyards within the Großlage Pilgerpfad in Wonnegau. On the Kloppberg, the vineyard plots lie up to about 280 metres in altitude; they face east to north-east.
Viticulture
Kloppberg, Geiersberg and Pfaffenmütze are situated on deep, calcareous clay marl soils of the Pelosol type; at the Kloppberg, fine deposits of limestone are also present. The Leckerberg has calcareous loam, loess and marl on terraced slopes, while the Mönchhube is characterised by Pelosol and loess-pararendzina. At the Heßloch Liebfrauenberg, heavy calcareous marl lies over a larger limestone reef. Cool evening winds at the Kloppberg and cool west winds at the Liebfrauenberg are among the documented site characteristics.
Different styles of wine are associated with the sites: Geiersberg stands for powerful, mineral and complex wines, Kloppberg for pronounced acidity and minerality as well as depth and elegance. At the Liebfrauenberg, late-ripening, saline and mineral Rieslings are produced. Riesling is particularly documented for Kloppberg and Geiersberg; at the Leckerberg, Riesling and Burgundian varieties are also mentioned. In Dittelsheim-Heßloch, other varieties are also grown, including Chardonnay, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder, Spätburgunder, Silvaner, Dornfelder, Saint Laurent, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
History
Dittelsheim was mentioned in donation documents of the Lorsch Abbey in 775 as Dietelsheim and Heßloch in 767 as Hesinloch. The present-day municipality was formed in 1969 by merging the previously independent municipalities of Dittelsheim and Heßloch. The vineyard site Mönchhube is already documented in 1297 as “munchouen”; the name is linked to ownership by a monastic institution. Leckerberg was first mentioned in 1562 as “im Leckerberg”, while the name Klopp has been documented since 1537.
