Location and landscape
Neuleiningen is a municipality in the district of Bad Dürkheim in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Leiningerland. The town is located on the north-eastern edge of the Leininger spur, where the Buntsandstein highland of the Palatinate Forest grades into the northern Upper Rhine Plain. The historic settlement is situated on a hill spur at the exit of the Eckbach valley; the vineyards run along the slopes towards the Rhine plain.
Climate and wine sites
Neuleiningen is part of the wine-growing region Pfalz. For the region, a mean annual temperature of around 10 °C, a mean temperature for the growing season of 14.7 °C and roughly 655 millimetres of annual rainfall are given. Temperatures increase in general from the Haard edge to the Rhine plain; during the growing season, direct sunshine amounts to about 665,000 Wh/m².
The wine site directory lists Neuleiningen Feuermännchen, Neuleiningen Schloßberg and Neuleiningen Sonnenberg as individual sites within the Großlage of Höllenpfad. The planted areas in the Neuleiningen cadastral district comprise 21.8 hectares at Feuermännchen, 10.3 hectares at Schloßberg and 27.6 hectares at Sonnenberg.
Soils and wines
The Leininger spur consists of strongly elevated Buntsandstein. For Schloßberg, loess deposits with local calcareous clay marl interlayers over tertiary limestone and loosened limestone layers in a clayey-loam subsoil are described. Feuermännchen is characterised by calcareous marl, loess and sandstone; Sonnenberg by calcareous Muschelkalk and calcareous marl on the lower slope.
At Feuermännchen, Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer are documented. For Schloßberg, Riesling and Chardonnay are recorded. Sonnenberg includes documented plantings and bottlings of Auxerrois, Spätburgunder, Schwarzriesling, Riesling, Grauburgunder and Sauvignon Blanc. A 2023 price list names dry wines from Feuermännchen, Schloßberg and Sonnenberg.
History
The castle and town wall were built between 1238 and about 1250 by Friedrich III of Leiningen. Town rights have been documented since 1371. During the War of the Palatine Succession, the castle became unusable for defence in 1690 due to explosions; in 1941 the ruins were given as a donation to the municipality.
