Location and wine-growing area
Großvargula lies on the upper Unstrut and at the geographical beginning of the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing area. After about 60 kilometres of river course, the Unstrut passes the Hopfenberg in the municipality.
The Hopfenberg
The single vineyard Großvargulaer Hopfenberg covers 0.7350 hectares of planted vineyard area (as at 31 December 2024). It is located on a south-facing slope above the Unstrut valley. The site is documented as limestone; the profile includes, among other things, skeletal loam over Bunter sandstone and Muschelkalk, as well as areas with red marl, dumped gravel clay and loess loam.
The proximity to the Unstrut and valley mist affects the vines especially in dry summers. The high moisture in the valley during the wet season of 2018 was associated with powdery mildew.
History and cultivation
Wine-growing in Großvargula has been documented since around 1300. Historically, the vineyards covered about 25 hectares; church institutions and the city of Erfurt owned land in the village. As part of land consolidation in the 19th century, the vineyards disappeared, while field names still recall the earlier tradition. After the Second World War, Karl Simon Schwarz revived viticulture. The Hopfenberg was reactivated at the end of the 1990s and replanted in spring 2001.
Since the replanting, the grape variety Regent has been grown there. The vines are pruned from February to March, young plants are watered by hand and tended without irrigation systems. Fruit is removed selectively; the harvest is carried out manually by local helpers and project staff.
Wines
Regent produces a dry red wine, marketed under the name “Mons Lupi” or “mons lupi”. In the 2017 vintage, a rosé was produced under the influence of powdery mildew and the cherry vinegar fly. The grapes are processed and bottled in Bad Sulza; Andreas Klaus is named as the bottler.
