Edenkoben in the Palatinate
Edenkoben is a wine-growing town in the region Pfalz and is located at about 149 metres above sea level.
Vineyard sites and geology
The vineyard site Heidegarten is situated on lower to mid-slope positions at about 140 to 200 metres in altitude. It is predominantly oriented south-east to south. The geological subsoil consists of Buntsandstein, which is covered by loess and loess clay as well as, in part, sandy-gravelly deposits.
History of viticulture
Edenkoben was first mentioned in writing in 769; the document refers to 19 vineyards in connection with a donation to the Lorsch Abbey. In 1262, the Cistercian nuns’ convent of Heilsbruck was founded in Edenkoben. Its advanced viticultural techniques influenced the development of local wine-growing.
Tradition and development
The traditional trellis pruning system (Kammertbau) was formerly widespread in Edenkoben and is shown along the wine education trail using a reconstructed example. In the 1860s, the Edenkoben winemaker Gustav Adolf Froelich established one of the early wire-frame vineyards and thereby helped bring about the transition to modern training systems. Since 2015, local winemakers have been taking part in a cooperative scheme for groundwater protection, which includes monitoring plant protection products and their breakdown products in the vineyards.