Location and climate
Pillnitz is a district of Dresden in the eastern part of the city and lies on the right bank of the River Elbe. The region belongs to Saxony and has a humid-temperate climate with maritime and continental influences. The Elbe valley provides local, relief-related climatic effects. On the vineyard slope, favourable temperatures, an earlier budding in spring, and rapid warming after cool autumn nights are documented.
The royal vineyard
The Royal Vineyard lies above Pillnitz Castle and the park on the south slope of the Borsberg. The area facing south-west to south slopes down from about 170 to 125 metres above sea level; the gradient of the slope is roughly 40 to 45 per cent. The soils consist of weathered granite along the Lusatian granite shift and are locally overlaid or influenced by loess and ice-age sand.
Viticulture and grape varieties
The vineyard is a terraced cultural landscape with historical walls, stairways, water pipes, transport routes, watch houses and a winery building. Since 1980, the Weinberg Pillnitz e.V. winegrowing community has been cultivating and restoring the previously overgrown steep-slope terrace vineyards. It documents around 70 plots farmed separately and the ongoing maintenance of the dry-stone walls. In the classified area, Riesling, Pinot Gris and White Pinot are grown; other documented grape varieties are Kerner, Gewürztraminer, Traminer, Muscateller and Sauvignon Blanc. Dry Riesling and White Pinot wines, as well as semi-dry Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer wines, have been proven.
History and classification
The first written mention of viticulture in Pillnitz is a document from the year 1403. The Royal Vineyard was comprehensively reconstructed between 1796 and 1811; in 1827 a new winery building was created on the hillside path. In the early 19th century, the historic site comprised about 17 hectares within a wine-growing wall around 2.2 kilometres long. Between 1981 and 1986, around 40,000 vines were planted on the overgrown terraces. Pillnitz’s Royal Vineyard belongs to the Elbe Valley large-growth group of the Saxon quality wine classification and to the protected winegrowing region of Saxony. A portion of 4.53 hectares is classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®.
