Location on the High Rhine
Hohentengen on the High Rhine lies in the south of Baden-Württemberg directly on the Swiss border along the High Rhine. The municipality comprises the local districts of Hohentengen, Lienheim, Herdern, Bergöschingen, Günzgen and Stetten and belongs to the region Baden.
The Hohentengen Oil Hill
The municipality extends across terrace landscapes of the High Rhine and the southern slope of the Klettgau Alb. The vineyards on the Hohentengen Oil Hill lie on a steep, south-facing slope above the Rhine. Its location directly on the High Rhine shapes its own microclimate. The terroir includes alpine moraine material transported from the Rhine; in the topsoil, loess and clay predominate, while the rock content increases uphill and, in parts of the upper steep slope, slate can be seen at the surface.
Viticulture and grape varieties
Around 20 hectares of vines are cultivated contiguously around the Engelhof. Different sections of slope have their own soil and site conditions for different grape varieties. Planted varieties are Müller-Thurgau, Gutedel, Spätburgunder, Chardonnay and Riesling. Müller-Thurgau and Gutedel from the loess- and clay-influenced lower slope are described as fruit-forward, as is the expressive Spätburgunder from the middle slope. Chardonnay from the upper steep slope shows a mineral character; Riesling grows in a small plot with bedrock slate.
History and development
According to the history of the Engelhof, viticulture in Hohentengen dates back to the Merovingian period and reached its greatest extent in the Middle Ages. Citizens from the nearby Kaiserstuhl managed the oil hill that is the site today, at times cultivating up to 120 hectares. After political and ecclesiastical changes, including the Kaiserstuhl joining the Swiss Confederation in 1803, the area under vines declined. After the Engelhof was acquired in 1964, the redevelopment began; by 1982, 20 hectares were planted, and after the 1986 vintage, wine was bottled from the Hohentengen Oil Hill for the first time again. The grapes are processed healthy, ripe and selected and are matured in stainless-steel tanks or wooden casks, depending on the grape variety and site. Documented are dry Spätburgunder and dry Chardonnay wines, including a Chardonnay matured in barrique from the Kalkofen plot.
