Plochingen

Plochingen lies at the confluence of the Neckar and the Fils in Baden-Württemberg. The municipal area extends from the Neckar valley towards the Schurwald and includes elevations of 252 metres at the station up to 398 metres at the Stumpenhof. The town lies at approximately 48°42′45″ north latitude and 9°15′00″ east longitude.

The documented Hansen site in the Nothalde district comprises about 1.1 hectares. It is oriented from south-southeast to south-southwest and has a moderate slope. The soil consists of heavy nodular marl with clay layers of varying colour and light limestone concretions. Springs supply part of the area with moisture throughout the year. For Riesling and other varieties of grapevine, a favourable local microclimate is described.

At the Hansen site, Trollinger, Grüner Veltliner, Lemberger, Riesling, Kerner and Dornfelder grow. The documented proportions are 42 percent Trollinger, 22 percent Grüner Veltliner, 13 percent Lemberger, 9 percent Riesling, 8 percent Kerner and 6 percent Dornfelder. Through intensive quality pruning, the annual yield is limited to about 7,000 litres. The wines are produced from individual varieties and aged. Documented are red wines from Trollinger, Lemberger and Dornfelder, white wines from Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and Kerner, as well as Trollinger rosé and Trollinger Blanc de Noirs. In suitable years, sparkling wine or Secco made from white wine is also produced.

Vine-growing in Plochingen has been documented since the eighth century; at the beginning of the 19th century, the vineyard area still covered about 90 hectares. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, commercial wine-growing declined, among other things, due to changing drinking habits, industrial employment opportunities, storms and vine diseases. The winery settlement was discontinued in 1929. A wine-growing association founded in 1984 replanted an area in the Nothalde and recorded the first harvest there in 1986.