Location and viticulture
Hillesheim is a wine village in Rheinhessen on the hills above the Rhine corridor between Mainz and Worms. The municipality has around 160 hectares of vineyard area.
Vineyard sites and soils
The Hillesheimer Altenberg covers 95 hectares at an altitude of 160 to 230 metres. Its exposure turns from west to north; loess-pararendzina as well as marl-pelosol shape the soils. The Hillesheimer Sonnheil covers 59 hectares at an altitude of 160 to 200 metres and is south-facing. Here marl-pelosol is present from calcareous clayey deposits of the Tertiary sea.
Wine style and climate
On the Altenberg, the loess soils are combined with rather lean, refreshing wines with gentle acidity and fine fruit. The marl-pelosols are responsible there for fuller, denser wines with moderate acidity and a creamy texture. The Sonnheil is associated with full-bodied, dense wines, moderate acidity, a creamy texture and ripe fruit. Rheinhessen has an annual average of about 9.9 °C, around 500 millimetres of precipitation and during the growing season about 650,000 Wh/m² of direct sunshine.
Historical evidence
For Hillesheim, traces of settlement from the Roman period are documented with ceramics, urns and Roman coins. A document dated 12 November 1285 provides evidence of the transfer of the Hillesheim tithe to the cathedral chapter in Mainz. The name Altenberg is recorded in 1618 as “im alten Berg”.
