Location and landscape
Knittlingen lies at the beginning of the Kraichgau plain, at the transition to the wooded foothills of the Stromberg. The town area covers the transition between the Kraichgau plain and the lower slopes and outlying hills of the Stromberg and belongs to the Stromberg-Heuchelberg nature park. Knittlingen is in Württemberg.
Wine growing in Knittlingen
According to the local cooperative, wine growing benefits from a mild climate and favourable soil conditions. On the associated vineyard plots, 122 members cultivate around 42 hectares of vines. Documented grape varieties include Trollinger, Lemberger, Spätburgunder, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.
The Reichshalde
The Knittlinger Reichshalde lies on a medium hillside position. Its geological subsoil is assigned to the Middle Keuper; as soil, calcareous loam is documented. The wine-growing site was added to the official wine-growing site directory in 1972. A papal document from 1259 expressly mentions the wine-growing sites Bonnenberg and Reichshalde.
History and wine making
Knittlingen was first mentioned in 843 under the name Cnudelingen. In 1148, the Maulbronn monastery acquired rights to the place and set up an administrative estate there. The Knittlingen winegrowers’ cooperative was founded on 5 April 1930; between 1958 and 1964, individual vineyard plots were reorganised under its direction. Since 2001, grapes from Knittlingen and Oberderdingen have been received in the Oberderdingen winery and developed separately. In a comparative tasting, a Spätburgunder from the Reichshalde was described as structured, with persistent acidity and a short roasted aroma, and a Riesling from the same site with a short roasted aroma and persistent acidity.
