Location and landscape
Ockenheim is a municipality in Rheinhessen in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate. The municipality covers 6.03 square kilometres and lies at an elevation of 261 metres. The undulating landscape is characterised by vineyards, fields and wooded areas. Rheinhessen has a dry, sunny climate with mild winters and autumns, around 530 millimetres of annual precipitation, about 1,970 hours of sunshine and a growing season of roughly 280 days.
Viticulture and wine-growing sites
Viticulture has long been an economically important use in Ockenheim and shapes the appearance of the landscape. The named Ockenheim wine-growing sites are assigned to the Bingen area and the St. Rochuskapelle region. These include, among others, Hockenmühle, Klosterweg, Kreuz, Laberstall, Schönhölle and St. Jakobsberg.
Soils and wine character
Hockenmühle is characterised by deep, calcareous loam and marl-clay soils. Riesling, Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau are documented there; the wines are associated with a full-bodied character and balanced acidity. Kreuz lies on calcareous windblown sand and tends towards red wines with berry fruit, a soft acidity and a dense structure. In Schönhölle, marl and limestone soils meet. St. Jakobsberg has sandy and clay-marl pararendzinas from calcareous loams and sands.
Historical references
Ockenheim was first mentioned in 823 as huccunheim. Documents from the ninth century show vineyards in the municipality, including a grant from 886 and an inventory of the Prüm monastery from 893. From 983 to 1798, Ockenheim belonged to Kurmainz. Hockenmühle is documented in 1348 as hinter deme huckenbule, Kreuz in 1471 as an dem crutze.
