Location and municipality
Ellerstadt is a local municipality in the Bad Dürkheim district and belongs to the Wachenheim an der Weinstraße collective municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate. The town lies in the hilly plain to the east of the Palatinate Forest, at the transition from the eastern foothills to the Upper Rhine plain.
Climate and soils
Ellerstadt is assigned to the sunny Palatinate. For viticulture, a warm, comparatively dry climate, a long growing season and relatively low rainfall have been documented. The vineyard areas are predominantly level to gently sloping at around 100 to 130 metres above sea level. Loess and loess loam predominate, supplemented by sand, gravel and lime- or clay-containing components.
Viticulture
About 235 hectares of vineyard area are cultivated in Ellerstadt. With Bubeneck, the Kirchenstück shared with Gönnheim and Sonnenberg, three wine-growing areas are associated with the municipality. Ellerstadt is known in particular for red wine. Documented dry examples include Blauer Portugieser from Bubeneck and Dornfelder from the Kirchenstück.
History and grape varieties
On 19 December 783, Ellerstadt was first mentioned as “Alaridestath” in connection with a grant to the Lorsch Abbey. According to the municipality’s history, viticulture has already played a role since the eighth century. From 1886 onwards, Portugieser was planted predominantly; Gewürztraminer was historically present, but remained a sporadic planting because its yields were usually low. Other documented grape varieties include Riesling, Spätburgunder, Grauburgunder, Chardonnay and Weißburgunder.
