Location and History
Eimsheim is a municipality covering 4.61 km² in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the region Rheinhessen. The place was first mentioned on 23 September 762 in a deed of gift to the Lorsch Abbey. The same historical record also mentions a vineyard in the Huminsheimer Marca.
Viticulture
On the municipality’s area of 461 hectares, there are around 100 hectares of vineyard land. The Eimsheimer Hexelberg covers 26 hectares, and the Eimsheimer Sonnenhang 37 hectares. Both wine-growing sites are located in the Eimsheim cadastral district.
Sites and Soils
The Hexelberg lies at around 180 to 195 metres above sea level and is oriented to the south to south-west. The Sonnenhang extends at around 190 to 224 metres above sea level with a south-east orientation. For Hexelberg, Römerschanze and Sonnenhang, loess over pararendzina is documented. The loess is described as a calcareous sediment deposited by wind during the ice ages.
Historic Vine-Growing Sites
Hexelberg, Römerschanze and Sonnenhang belong to the Nierstein area and to the Großlage Krötenbrunnen. Their single vineyard sites are called Hexelberg, Römerschanze and Sonnenhang. The name Hexelberg goes back to the older Hesselberg and is associated with a hill that was once covered in hazel scrub. The designation Römerschanze is based on Roman archaeological finds in the vineyard area. Traces of settlement from the Bronze Age as well as finds from the Roman period, including a column capital from a Jupiter monument, are documented.
