Edesheim

Edesheim lies at the entrance to the Modenbachtal valley between the Haardtrand escarpment of the Palatine Forest and the Upper Rhine Plain. The town is surrounded by vineyards; these extend in the meadow valley of the Modenbach and on the gently rolling terrain between woodland and the Rhine plain. At an altitude of around 150 metres, roughly 620 millimetres of precipitation fall annually, with approximately 2,000 hours of sunshine and a mean annual temperature of 11.1 °C. The exceptionally mild climate enables not only viticulture but also the ripening of almonds, chestnuts, figs, kiwis and lemons.

The Edesheim vineyards have sandy-loam, loamy sand, loess-loam, limestone formed from marl and weathered red sandstone. In the Forst site, around 70 per cent of the plots are on slopes and 30 per cent in flat areas. The Rosengarten site is characterised by loamy soil with a high proportion of loess. The Edesheimer Schloss has its own documented vineyard site, recorded since the early 19th century.

Documented are measures to reduce yields, intensive work in the vineyard canopy and care for the soil, as well as cultivation in harmony with nature. In the named sites, among others, Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau, Dornfelder, Dunkelfelder and Spätburgunder are grown. The local descriptions connect Edesheim with fruity Rieslings, Burgundian grape varieties, spicy Traminer as well as red wines from Dornfelder and Spätburgunder. A regional expression of Chardonnay is fully developed in barrique casks.

Edesheim is documented in a charter of the Weißenburg Abbey from 714 as villa Auduino, or Auduinovilla. Further early evidence comes from a charter of Lorsch Abbey from 756 and from the year 1179, when a Weißenburg monastery estate and two churches were mentioned. Edesheim belongs to the geographically delimited area of the protected designation of origin Pfalz, which includes wine, quality sparkling wine and sparkling wine.