Location and landscape
Neef is a municipality on the Moselle in the district of Cochem-Zell in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the Mosel region. The town is situated directly on the river, at the foot of Petersberg, and opposite the Calmont’s vineyard massif. For Neef, a mild climate is described.
Vineyard sites
The Neefer Frauenberg lies on the tightest bend of the Moselle and is oriented to the south as far as south-south-west. The vineyard site extends to the ridge of the mountain, has slopes of more than 60 per cent and comprises 11.5 hectares. Grey Devon slate, clay-containing inclusions, rock outcrops and vineyard walls shape the historic vineyard ensemble, which lies opposite the Calmont across the Moselle bend.
The Rosenberg is Neef’s largest vineyard site. It borders the Frauenberg and stretches in the direction of the Neefer Bachtal, creating several different orientations. On stony grey slate, Riesling and Spätburgunder grow; on heavier, clay-containing soils, Kerner, Bacchus and Dornfelder also grow. The Petersberg includes some of Neef’s few comparatively flat and easier-to-work vineyards; its parcels are oriented to the west and have very nutrient-rich soils.
Grape varieties and wine style
At the Frauenberg, Riesling is grown above all, alongside Spätburgunder. Local descriptions connect the site with aromatic Riesling wines of high ripeness, as well as the Prädikat levels of Spätlese, Auslese and Beerenauslese; a historic vineyard view describes the wines as elegant. At the Petersberg, Dornfelder, Weißburgunder, Bacchus, Müller-Thurgau and Chardonnay grow, but not Riesling. The traditional grape harvest in Neef begins at the Petersberg. At the Frauenberg, there are also a number of old vines, some of which are own-rooted.
Traces of history
Archaeological finds indicate settlement in the surrounding area since the Middle Stone Age, traces from the Bronze Age, as well as Celtic settlement from about 500 BC. Around 300 AD, a Roman fortification was built on the Petersberg, from which, among other things, chambers hewn out of the rock, a low enclosing wall and a section ditch have been preserved. After the end of Roman rule, Frankish rulers developed a large vineyard on what is now the castle hill. The name Frauenberg is associated with the former ownership of the nearby Stuben monastery.
