Location and landscape
Querfurt is a town in the Saalekreis district in Saxony-Anhalt and covers 156.39 km². It lies in the landscape of the Querfurt Plateau, whose fertile black-earth soils are documented in the town’s history.
Soil and climate
At a soil observation site west of Querfurt in the loess basin of Nebra, for the period from 1990 to 2019 an average temperature of 9.7 °C and annual precipitation of 551 mm were recorded. The site belongs to black-earth landscapes shaped by loess; its colluvium formed from redeposited loess over valley sediments.
Vine growing under the castle
Below the Querfurt Castle lies the town’s vineyard St. Bruno. It was established in 2007 on the former vineyard of the Mariazell house monastery of the Lords of Querfurt. In the conventional area, Gutedel, Weißburgunder and Blauer Zweigelt grow. The wines from the grapes are marketed under the name Edler von Querfurt.
An extension of around 1.2 hectares includes fencing, a field margin with wildflowers, a flowering area and an irrigation system. In the insect-friendly area, around 4,000 vines were planted, in particular the fungus-resistant PIWI variety Souvignier gris. According to the town, the use of fungus-resistant vines is intended to reduce the need for crop protection spraying. The vineyard is a reminder of Brun of Querfurt, who worked around the imperial court of Otto III and died in 1009.
Further vineyard and protected designation of origin
The Vitzenburger Schlossberg is located in Vitzenburg, a constituent community of Querfurt. The vineyard area, which slopes southwards towards the Unstrut, belongs to the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region; the official vineyard directory lists 2.3854 hectares of planted vineyard area there. Wine from the Saale-Unstrut area is subject to the protected designation of origin Saale-Unstrut, which also includes quality sparkling wine and quality pearling wine.
