Location and wine-growing area
Groß-Umstadt is the centre of the Odenwald wine island and the Umstadt area within the wine-growing region Hessische Bergstraße. Legally, the town belongs to the German Qualitätswein (quality wine) growing area Hessische Bergstraße and to the Umstadt area. This area comprises around 15 percent of the vineyard area of Hessische Bergstraße.
Climate, soils and vineyards
The Odenwald protects Hessische Bergstraße from harsh north and east winds. An early spring, a long growing season, an average annual temperature of around 12 °C, more than 1,700 hours of sunshine and roughly 690 millimetres of annual rainfall shape the region. The municipal area belongs to the crystalline zone of the Odenwald and features, among other things, loess, clay and silt as well as locally loess-derived soils.
The three most important Groß-Umstadt vineyard sites are located in different positions: the Stachelberg lies to the north, the Steingerück to the north-east and the Herrnberg to the east to south-east of the town centre. Their documented areas include around 18.2 hectares at Stachelberg, 13.6 hectares at Steingerück and 28.8 hectares at Herrnberg. Herrnberg and Steingerück are in Groß-Umstadt and Heubach, while Stachelberg is in the Klein-Umstadt district.
Grape varieties and wine style
In Groß-Umstadt, among other varieties, Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Silvaner, Kerner, Bacchus, Scheurebe, Dornfelder, Portugieser, Ehrenfelser, Chardonnay, Spätburgunder, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder and Gewürztraminer are grown. For Steingerück and Herrnberg, Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner are documented; for Stachelberg, Riesling, Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau. The wines from Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner from Steingerück and Herrnberg are compared stylistically with wines from Franconia.
History and development
Viticulture in Groß-Umstadt has been documented since the year 775. A Roman grape seed stone is also recorded as an indication of possibly earlier wine-growing. A completed land consolidation (Flurbereinigung) at Herrnberg secured and expanded viticulture, improved access and water management, and used grid stones made of grass grids at the access routes to reduce soil sealing. Newly organised vineyard plots there were planted, among other things, with fungus-resistant red varieties such as Regent.
