Location and landscape
Klein-Winternheim is located in Rheinhessen on the south and south-west slope of a ridge between the Rhine rift and the Selz valley. The side valley of the Haibach opens out into the Selz. The built-up areas lie on a valley slope, while the vineyards extend over higher-lying terrain.
Climate and viticulture
The sheltered viticulture climate of Rheinhessen includes around 1,600 hours of sunshine, a growing season of roughly 240 days, average annual temperatures of 8.6 to 10.6 °C and annual rainfall of 470 to 730 millimetres. In the municipal area, around 65 hectares of vineyard are cultivated. Documented grape varieties include, among others, Riesling, Silvaner, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder, Chardonnay, Spätburgunder, Dornfelder and Portugieser.
Vineyard sites and soils
The Geiershölle has calcareous rendzinas from tertiary marine deposits, which are linked to reef-building calcareous algae. Wines from these soils are described as expressive, lively and aromatic, with notes of citrus fruits, apple and gooseberry, which can develop into ripe mango and passion fruit. The former small-scale vineyard structure of Klein-Winternheim is today consolidated under the single-vineyard site name Geiershölle. The Kapellenberg comprises clay marl and Pelosol soils, as well as calcareous rendzinas; the site lies mostly in Ober-Olm and extends, with smaller parcels, to the north-east towards Klein-Winternheim.
History of viticulture
The oldest documented information on winegrowing comes from a state survey from 1576, which mentions the vineyard “Das Lette” on the road to Ebersheim. Tax records from 1808 to 1813 show vineyard ownership among 100 of the 118 tax-paying residents and around 797 plots. A compilation from 1862 to 1865 recorded 140 morgen, about 35 hectares, of vineyard area and 580 inhabitants. Archaeological finds also provide evidence of prehistoric settlement and a Roman settlement in the Villkeller field area.
