Location and landscape
Hirschberg an der Bergstraße is a municipality in the north of Baden-Württemberg, on the western edge of the Odenwald, and borders the Upper Rhine Plain. The municipality comprises vineyards slopes and extends from the plain towards the Odenwald. In the district of Leutershausen, the Hohe Waid reaches 455 metres above sea level.
Climate and geology
Hirschberg lies in a warm-temperate climate zone. In the northern Upper Rhine Plain, the average annual temperature is over 11 °C, and in July the average temperature exceeds 20 °C. The Bergstraße is described as mild and sunny, with an early spring. Local hydrogeological units include Quaternary and Pliocene sands and gravels of the Upper Rhine Graben.
Viticulture on the Badische Bergstraße
Hirschberg an der Bergstraße belongs to the Badish wine-growing region, more precisely to the Badische Bergstraße area. For the municipality, the following vineyard sites are documented: Kahlberg, Sandrocken and Staudenberg. The local names are Leutershausener Kahlberg, Großsachsener Sandrocken and Leutershausener Staudenberg.
History and vineyard sites
Viticulture in Leutershausen has been documented since 879. Historically, about one-tenth of the agricultural area was used for viticulture; the vineyards were heavily divided into plots, whereas the Staudenberg formed a contiguous area from around 1830. The Leutershausener Staudenberg extends towards the Schriesheim municipal border and has a southern to south-westerly aspect. There are documented varieties including Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder, Gewürztraminer, Scheurebe and Spätburgunder. The present-day municipality was formed in 1975 through the merger of Großsachsen and Leutershausen.
