Location and landscape
Merdingen is a municipality in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg. It lies on the western edge of the Tuniberg in the southern Upper Rhine Plain. The Tuniberg rises around 100 to 120 metres above the surrounding plain and consists of hard limestone, which is covered by a massive layer of loess. For Merdingen, calcareous loess soils are described.
Climate and viticulture
The municipality describes the climate as mild. The Tuniberg is one of Germany’s warm and sunny viticulture regions and records more than 1,400 hours of sunshine from April to October. Annual precipitation is about 700 millimetres. Merdingen has around 250 hectares of vineyard area; with this, the municipality is the largest wine-growing municipality on the Tuniberg. Just under 20 percent of the municipal area is planted with vines.
Merdinger Bühl and wines
The Merdinger Bühl lies on the steep western edge of the Tuniberg and is oriented to the south to south-west. Documented wines from this site include Spätburgunder, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder and Blanc de Noirs made from Spätburgunder. Spätburgunder is the leading grape variety on the Tuniberg and accounts for about half of the vineyard area; Weißburgunder and Grauburgunder are also among the important varieties.
Wine-growing tradition
Viticulture in Merdingen has been documented for centuries. Medieval wine price regulations and historical winery courtyards demonstrate its long-standing importance for the local history of the place. For a documented Weißburgunder from the 2022 vintage from the Merdinger Bühl, the yield was limited to 60 kilograms per are. The wine received a maceration time for aroma and colour extraction, matured in 500-litre wooden casks and then on fine lees.
