Location and viticulture
Gundersheim is a municipality in the Wonnegau, a sub-region of Rheinhessen. The municipality covers around 863 hectares, of which about 220 hectares are planted with vines. Viticulture shapes agriculture, especially in the individual sites Höllenbrand and Königstuhl, which belong to the Großlage Bergkloster.
Landscape and climate
Gundersheim is situated in an exposed position with views towards the Rhine Valley, the Donnersberg and the Odenwald. The Höllenbrand is described as a terraced slope, fully oriented to the south, and shows gradients of up to 20 per cent. Southern Rheinhessen is one of the driest areas in Germany; the region is given as receiving around 450 to 500 millimetres of annual precipitation.
Soils and wine style
In the Höllenbrand, calcareous rendzina and calcareous terra fusca occur, which were formed from tertiary marine deposits in connection with a calcareous algal reef. The Königstuhl has loess pararendzina and marl pelosol. The vines in the Höllenbrand are used for robust-bodied wines, often red wines; for the site, Spätburgunder is also documented.
History
Gundersheim was first documented in 769 in the Lorscher donation records under the name Guntmaresheim. The records also mention the neighbouring district of Enzheim. The Höllenbrand appears in 1437 as “in dem hilprant” and in 1710 as “im Höllenrand”.
