Location and Landscape
Schorndorf is located in the Rems-Murr district of Württemberg in the Remstal, where the valley widens into the Schorndorf basin. The urban area extends to the south into the natural regions of the Schurwald and the Welzheimer Wald. The elevation ranges from 238.08 to 513.78 metres above sea level and includes the Remstal, Keuper hillsides and high plateaus towards the Schurwald.
Geology
Schorndorf lies in a Gipskeuper basin of the Rems. Middle Keuper terrace formations and narrow bands of reed sandstone divide the slopes; in the Remstal, ice-age gravels occur in places.
Viticulture
The Schorndorfer Grafenberg is classified in the Württemberg wine-growing region as VDP.ERSTE LAGE® and covers 13.05 hectares. The site, which is oriented from the south-west to the south, has loamy clay from the Keuper. Riesling is classified as the grape variety; Jürgen Ellwanger works there as a VDP winemaker. For VDP.ERSTE LAGE®, the yield is at most 60 hectolitres per hectare, selective hand-harvesting of physiologically ripe grapes and traditional vinification methods apply.
History
Schorndorf belonged to Württemberg no later than from the middle of the 13th century and was, in the late Middle Ages, a significant town in the county. In 1759, the city became the seat of an Oberamt. The designated viticulture areas of the municipality belong to the protected designation of origin “Württemberg”.
