Mandel

Mandel is a local municipality in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde Rüdesheim. The municipality lies in the Nahe region south of the Hunsrück, about five kilometres from Bad Kreuznach, and covers around 6.3 km². Vineyards, meadows and woodland shape the landscape at an elevation of about 200 metres.

The Nahe wine-growing region is mild and comparatively dry. The Hunsrück and Soonwald provide protection from cold winds; exposure and sheltered sites can also promote warmer microclimates in the vineyards. In the official directory of wine-growing sites, the Alte Römerstraße with 34.2 hectares, the Dellchen with 25.2 hectares, the Palmengarten with 75.8 hectares and the Schloßberg with 62.3 hectares are listed as single sites in the cadastral area of Mandel. The Schloßberg extends across cadastral boundaries; a further 1.6 hectares lie in the cadastral area of Sponheim.

The Alte Römerstraße has gravelly loam over sand and lies at an altitude of about 220 to 245 metres; the soils are assigned to the Pleistocene. In the Dellchen there are soils formed from sandstone over sandstone and Rotliegend from the Permian. The Palmengarten consists of loam and gravel with sand, silt and clay. Its Balzenberg area lies at about 230 metres and reaches slope gradients of around 40 per cent; Scheurebe is documented there. The south-facing Schloßberg has loamy sand and sandy soils over Rotliegend and has gradients of about 25 to 45 per cent. In the Dellchen, Riesling, Spätburgunder and Muskateller are documented.

Mandel was first mentioned in 962 as Mannendal and later came to be associated with the Koppenstein family. Their Renaissance hunting lodge in Mandel was created in 1624. In the area of the Palmengarten, a Belvedere built of bricks from the late 19th century is also documented. Near a spring, a cooperative operated an installation for producing spray brews for use in the vineyards from 1937 onwards.