Location and viticulture
Mesenich is a wine village directly on the Moselle in the Mosel wine-growing region of Rhineland-Palatinate. The vineyards cover around 100 hectares and are cultivated by several winegrowers. They belong to the Mosel growing area and the Großlage Rosenhang. The individual sites Abteiberg, Deuslay and Goldgrübchen are assigned to Mesenich.
Sites and soils
Some of the vineyards are located on steep slopes: in a Mesenich winegrowing business, around two thirds of a three-hectare vineyard area consist of steep sites with inclines of up to 60 percent. Goldgrübchen is a steep site facing south-west. The soils comprise Devonian weathering material in red, blue and yellow varieties; in flatter plots, deep sand and clay soils are found. In Goldgrübchen, alongside the slate typical for this section of the Moselle, a comparatively high proportion of quartzite has been documented.
Climate and grape varieties
The Moselle climate is considered cool, with the river evening out temperatures. Steep slopes facing south can absorb a great deal of heat in summer and allow a long ripening period for the grapes. On the steep sites with Devonian weathered soil, Riesling is grown above all. On flatter areas, Dornfelder, Spätburgunder and Weißburgunder are documented.
Historical background
Around 1050, Mesenich is associated with a grant to the Abbey of Brauweiler. The parish church is documented in a bishop’s charter from Trier dated 18 November 1088. Historically, the town’s economic activities were shaped by viticulture, agriculture for self-sufficiency and boat building. Large piles of stones in the vineyards led to the place-name Steinreichskäpp.
