Location and landscape
Monzernheim is a municipality in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate. It lies in the Wonnegau on the northern edge of Rheinhessen, in a high valley and on the southern edge of the Kloppberg plateau. Vineyards and land used for agriculture surround the town; elevated paths provide views over the Rhine trench.
Vineyard sites
The two documented vineyard sites in the Monzernheim cadastre are Goldberg and Steinböhl. Both belong to the Großlage Pilgerpfad in the Wonnegau. The 2024 vineyard directory lists 63.5 hectares of planted vineyard area for the Goldberg and 55.7 hectares for the Steinböhl.
Soils and history of viticulture
The Monzernheimer Goldberg lies on a north-easterly facing slope. Its soils include calcareous marl and pararendzina from tertiary marine deposits, as well as calcareous clay and Terra fusca from a tertiary calcareous algal reef. In the Steinböhl there are loess and pararendzina soils from calcareous wind deposits, as well as calcareous clay and Terra fusca from tertiary marine deposits. Monzernheim was first documented in 765 as Munzinheim in records of the Lorsch monastery. The name Steinböhl was documented in 1266 as “zu steinboehle”; for 1786 to 1788, the cadastre area records 11 Morgen of vineyards.
Protected designation of origin
Monzernheim lies in the demarcated geographical area of the protected designation of origin Rheinhessen. For this designation of origin, a maximum yield of 105 hectolitres per hectare applies; the wines must be produced within the defined German winegrowing regions.
