Location and Climate
Hemsbach lies on the Badische Bergstraße at the western edge of the Odenwald. The wine-growing landscape extends into the transitional zone between the Odenwald and the Upper Rhine Plain. For the region, around 750 to 850 millimetres of precipitation, a mean annual temperature of roughly 9.5 °C and up to 1,600 hours of sunshine during the growing season from April to October are given annually.
Vineyards and Soils
Documented plots of the Hemsbach Bürgerwingert are located on the sunny west-facing slope of the Alteberg and face south-west. Some areas are on a hillside. The vineyards grow on granodiorite and the gravel formed from it, which is covered by loess layers of varying thickness.
Winegrowing in Hemsbach
Winegrowing has been documented in Hemsbach for a long time. In the Lorscher Codex it is already mentioned in the eighth century, including the winegrowing areas Umbühl, Espersbach, Berling, Zeil and Alteberg. The city’s coat of arms includes a yoke, which is also associated with rural labour as well as winegrowing and grape harvest.
Hemsbacher Herrnwingert
The Hemsbacher Herrnwingert is a single site within the Großlage Rittersberg in the Baden winegrowing region. From 2015 onwards, the IG Bürgerwingert reactivated several disused parcels. For the plots, areas of 4 ares, 5 ares and 4.75 ares are given; cultivation follows the rules of organic viticulture and relies on hand work in the vineyard and cellar. A dry late harvest of Grauburgunder from the Hemsbacher Herrnwingert is documented as a Baden wine.
