Location and landscape
Dossenheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar district of Baden on the Bergstraße. The municipal area extends from the Upper Rhine Plain to the east into the Odenwald and rises from about 92 metres to 547.96 metres at the Weißen Stein. The landscape of the Bergstraße is considered to be climatically favoured.
The Ölberg
The Ölberg lies on the western edge of the Odenwald between Dossenheim and Schriesheim. The terrain includes steep slopes, former quarry terraces, rock faces and spoil heaps. The vineyard sites are characterised by alluvial fans covered with loess, loess-rich slope deposits and the crystalline Odenwald; in higher areas, Dossenheim rhyolite and hillside scree soils are added.
Viticulture and grape varieties
The Dossenheim Ölberg is a single-vineyard site within the Badische Bergstraße winegrowing area, within the Baden winegrowing region, and belongs to the Großlage Rittersberg. Documented varieties include, among others, Riesling, Spätburgunder, Dornfelder and Chardonnay, as well as Souvignier gris, Cabernet Blanc and Regent. The documented wine styles include dry and semi-dry Riesling Spätlesen, a sweet example, as well as a sweet Souvignier-gris Auslese.
History and cultivation
Dossenheim was first mentioned in 766 in the Lorsch Codex. Early records mention the transfer of vineyards to the Lorsch Abbey; three grapes in the municipal coat of arms recall the historical importance of viticulture. Since the 19th century, the Ölberg has been shaped by the extraction of porphyry, the former quarry areas of which are now part of protected habitats. For vineyards on the Ölberg, organic cultivation, old vines, manual work, biodiversity-oriented farming and a proportion of newer PIWI varieties are also documented.
