Location on the Moselle
Longuich is a municipality on the Moselle in the wine-growing region of Mittelmosel. The wine landscape lies at the transition from the wider Trier valley to the narrower, terraced Mittelmoselle valley.
Steep vineyards and slate
The vineyards benefit from the sheltered valley location, warm conditions on the steep slopes and in the valleys, and cooling night air from the surrounding heights. Among the named vineyard sites are Herrenberg, Hirschlay and Maximiner Herrenberg.
The Moselle hillsides consist of Devonian slate. In Longuicher Herrenberg, the slopes rise to up to 65 per cent; for one plot, the occurrence of red and blue slate together has been documented.
Grape varieties and wine style
Riesling is grown in Herrenberg and Maximiner Herrenberg. Hirschlay is also documented as a site for Pinot varieties and for Longuich village wines. Around Longuich, among others, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Grauburgunder, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Dornfelder and Weißburgunder are cultivated.
The wines from the steep slate slopes are described as light and fruity. From Maximiner Herrenberg, Rieslings are documented as Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese, and in dry styles.
Roman wine-growing history
In 1984, a Roman villa urbana was discovered to the south-west of Longuich. In Maximiner Herrenberg, a Roman wine-pressing facility is suspected. The town’s wine-growing history is also connected with Roman settlement and the earlier ownership of vineyards by the Trier abbey of St. Maximin.
