Oppenheim in Rheinhessen
Oppenheim is a wine-growing town on the Rhine in the region Rheinhessen. The elevated position above the river also shapes the historic name of the wine-growing site Sackträger: its workers carried goods up from the Rhine. Winegrowing has been documented since 765, when vineyards in the Oppenheim area were donated to the Lorsch monastery.
Location and soils
For Oppenheim, an average of 1,970 hours of sunshine per year is given for the period 1992 to 2020. The Herrenberg starts above the town at Landskron and stretches along the slope towards south-southeast. There, limestone and deep, comparatively nutrient-poor soils occur. The Kreuz is characterised by marl and calcareous loams and sands, while the Schloßberg is shallow to medium-depth, very calcareous, stony and sandy.
Grape varieties and wine style
For the Oppenheimer Herrenberg, Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder and Silvaner are listed as suitable white grape varieties. The wines are considered mineral there; the grapes ripen slowly and have considerable ageing potential. In the Sackträger, Riesling, Silvaner, Gewürztraminer and Spätburgunder grow. The Kreuz is planted with Riesling and increasingly also with Spätburgunder.
Winegrowing and classification
The State Winegrowing Domaine Oppenheim was founded in 1895 by Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and at the Rhine, and today has 23 hectares of vineyard area, including the sites Herrenberg and Sackträger. Oppenheim belongs to the protected designation of origin Rheinhessen. The sites Herrenberg, Kreuz, Sackträger, Schloßberg, Schützenhütte and Zuckerberg are assigned to the sub-region Nierstein.
