Location and Landscape
Ortenberg lies at the entrance to the Kinzigtal valley, where the valley opens out into the Upper Rhine plain. The municipality belongs to the wine-growing region of Ortenau in Baden, which stretches along the western foothills of the Black Forest. Vineyards, orchards and forest shape the landscape of the foothill zone.
Climate and Soils
The wine-growing climate is influenced by the transition between the Black Forest and the warmer Upper Rhine rift. Forested areas protect against cold winds. The Andreasberg is predominantly oriented to the south-west and lies at a height of about 200 to 300 metres. Its vines grow on weathered, granite bedrock.
Ortenberger Vineyard Sites
The Schlossberg lies on a granite spur at the transition from the Black Forest to the Upper Rhine rift. The vineyards form a south-facing amphitheatre with more than 50 percent slope and elevations between about 170 and 240 metres. The vineyard area covers 5.4 hectares. In addition to Andreasberg and Schlossberg, Franzensberger and Freudental also belong to the wine sites associated with Ortenberg.
Winegrowing and History
The winery at Schloss Ortenberg was founded in 1951 as an experimental winegrowing operation. The present-day Schloss-Ortenberg winery was created in 1997 through the merger of the city-owned winery St. Andreas with the Ortenau district’s experimental winegrowing operation. The Schlossberg documents, among other varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Spätburgunder, Riesling, Chardonnay and Grauburgunder. Riesling in the Ortenau is traditionally called Klingelberger.
