Location and vineyard area
Gottenheim lies on the north tip of the Tuniberg, about 15 kilometres west of Freiburg im Breisgau in Baden-Württemberg. The municipality covers 873 hectares, of which around 110 hectares are given over to vineyards. Gottenheim belongs to the wine-growing region Baden and to the Tuniberg area.
Vine landscape and soils
The vineyards are located in the climatically favoured landscape of the Tuniberg. The vineyard landscape includes the historic Alte Rebberg, which has not been consolidated, with traditional hollow lanes. Around 70 hectares of the additional vineyard area were consolidated in 1965 and 1966 through voluntary land reorganisation. The soils are described as fertile loess; in addition, Tuniberg limestone is known, which is called rye-stone locally.
Grape varieties and wine profile
The Gottenheim vineyard areas are classified uniformly under the site designation Kirchberg. The documented main varieties include Blau(e) Spätburgunder, Müller-Thurgau, or Rivaner, Grauburgunder and Weißburgunder. According to a municipal overview, around 60 per cent of the plantings are Blau(e) Spätburgunder, 24 per cent Müller-Thurgau, 7 per cent Grauburgunder and 5 per cent Weißburgunder. Local production is therefore focused on red and white Pinot grape varieties as well as Müller-Thurgau, or Rivaner.
History and cultivation
Winegrowing in Gottenheim has been documented at least since 1086. In the first recorded mention of the village, three vineyard plots were transferred to the St. Georgen monastery. The local winegrowers’ cooperative states that it cultivates its vines according to the principles of environmentally aware winegrowing. Gottenheim is located in wine-growing zone B of the European Union, for Baden with higher minimum requirements regarding must weight.
