Location and wine-growing area
Königswinter is located in North Rhine-Westphalia at the northern end of the Middle Rhine. The district of Petersberg is described as the main wine-growing place in this northern part. The vineyard sites are in the districts of Königswinter, Oberdollendorf and Niederdollendorf on the slopes of the Siebengebirge and in the Rhine valley.
Climate and soils
The climate of the Middle Rhine is shaped by oceanic, subtropical and continental air masses. The Rhine valley is warmer than the surrounding uplands; in the region, average annual temperatures of about 9 to 11 °C, 500 to 600 millimetres of rainfall and around 1,400 to 1,900 hours of sunshine are recorded.
The location Drachenfels is situated on tertiary trachyte and trachytic tuff. Its loamy-sandy, stony soils with light-coloured volcanic rock are well drained, well aerated and warm up easily. In the Oberdollendorf sites Rosenhügel and Sülzenberg, weathered sandstone formations have been documented.
Grape varieties and wine style
In Oberdollendorf, among other varieties, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, Gewürztraminer, Weißburgunder, Scheurebe, Spätburgunder and Dornfelder are grown. For Heisterberg, Riesling, Elbling, Früher Gelber Malinger, Spätburgunder and Frühburgunder are documented. The Stappenberg was replanted in 2021 with the old varieties Blauer Arbst and Schwarz-blauer Riesling.
Wines from the trachyte of Drachenfels ripen early and can show aromas of yellow apple, grapefruit and citrus. At high ripeness they are described as full-bodied, higher in alcohol and with rounded acidity.
History and cultivation
At the beginning of the 19th century, wine-growing in Oberdollendorf was an important sector of the economy. The area under vine there fell from 51 hectares in 1825 to 7.5 hectares in 1924. Land consolidation measures from 1973 made it possible to continue wine-growing as a main occupation; the reorganisation was completed in 1979.
A certified Bioland holding in Königswinter-Niederdollendorf cultivates steep and very steep vineyards largely by hand. The musts usually ferment spontaneously; the wines mature on the lees. White wines are developed in large wooden barrels and in premium stainless-steel tanks, red wines in used and new barriques.
