Location on the Nahe
Niederhausen is a winegrowing municipality on the Nahe in Rhineland-Palatinate. The place lies on a south-facing slope on a section of the river widened by a reservoir, at around 119 metres above sea level. Here the Nahe separates the foothills of the Hunsrück from the North Palatine Uplands. South- and south-west-facing, sheltered sites and the proximity to the river can create warmer vineyard microclimates within the comparatively cool growing region.
Steep vineyards and different soils
The Hermannshöhle faces south to south-west, lies at an altitude of 130 to 175 metres and shows slope gradients of 40 to 70 percent. Its subsoil consists of weathered black-grey slate with volcanic rock, limestone and porphyry. The partly terraced Klamm, located at 140 to 180 metres, also reaches inclines of up to 70 percent. There, porous volcanic rocks and the terrace walls store heat. In the Hermannsberg, clay slate lies under a layer of loess; the rocky hill is characterised by stone-rich volcanic porphyry with a thin loess layer.
Viticulture and history
Viticulture in Niederhausen is documented as far back as 1402. A document from 1546 mentions a separate customs office for wine from Niederhausen. A land consolidation process previously brought together fragmented vineyard plots and rebuilt the vineyards with selected grafting combinations. The winery Gut Hermannsberg was founded in 1902 as the Royal Prussian winegrowing estate; the first vines were Riesling.
Grape varieties and wine-making
Gut Hermannsberg cultivates 30 hectares of vineyard area, of which 95 percent is Riesling and 5 percent Weißburgunder. The Riesling-driven production includes dry wines and is described as having pronounced minerality. In the cellar, the winery limits itself to measures it considers necessary for stabilisation and clarification; a longer ageing period is part of the winemaking approach. The sites Hermannshöhle, Hermannsberg, Klamm and Steinberg are classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE, Felsensteyer as VDP.ERSTE LAGE.
