Location and districts
Oestrich-Winkel lies on the Rhine in the central Rheingau, around 20 kilometres west of Wiesbaden and 50 kilometres west of Frankfurt. The town comprises the districts of Oestrich, Mittelheim, Winkel and Hallgarten. Oestrich, Mittelheim and Winkel lie directly on the Rhine, while Hallgarten is higher up above the river and the vineyards.
Viticulture and landscape
Oestrich-Winkel is a wine-growing town with around 70 wineries and more than 100 agricultural holdings. Together, these holdings cultivate nearly 900 hectares of land. The vineyards are located in the fairly cool climatic zone of the Rheingau; slopes facing south to south-west are regarded as particularly favourable. The municipal forest stretches from the boundary of the vineyards across the Taunus ridge towards the inland forest and covers about two thirds of the municipal area.
Soils and wine-growing sites
The Winkeler vineyards, including the Dachsberg and Hasensprung, are characterised by deep loess and loess marl; in places gravel and damp loess marl areas also occur. The Oestricher Klosterberg has deep gravel and clay soils with Taunus quartzite. Riesling is the predominant grape variety in the Rheingau and grows on about 80 per cent of the vineyards there. The wines of the Winkeler Dachsberg are described as having pronounced acidity and fruit character.
History
The present-day town was formed in the 1970s: Oestrich, Mittelheim and Winkel were merged in 1972, and Hallgarten was incorporated in 1977. The Oestrich wine-loading crane on the Rhine was completed in 1745 and used for loading wine up until the 1920s. The walled Dachsberg in the district of Winkel was cleared between 1818 and about 1828 and planted; on its upper section, a shelter for vineyard workers was built from local stone.
