Location in the Ruwer Valley
Sommerau is located in the Ruwer Valley in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the Mosel wine-growing region. The Sommerau Schlossberg is about 10 kilometres from the point where the Ruwer flows into the Mosel.
Steep slopes and soils
The Sommerau Schlossberg is a former river meander hill in the narrow Ruwer Valley. The elevations range from about 190 metres in the valley floor to 270 metres on the upper slope; the vineyard plots, which are predominantly oriented to the south, have gradients of up to 60 to 70 per cent. The soils of the steep slope consist of slate formed from Devonian marine sediments. They are stony; dark pieces of slate store heat. In contrast, the valley floor has fine-grained, groundwater-rich Gley and pseudogley soils.
Climate and viticulture
The south-facing orientation provides a high level of sunshine. At the same time, the Ruwer Valley is cooler than the Mosel Valley because cold air descends from the Hunsrück highlands. A high risk of late frost has been documented for Sommerau. A pond at the foot of the vineyard serves as a heat store and increases local air humidity in order to reduce frost damage. The Sommerau Schlossberg, which is managed as a single site, is planted with Riesling; documented wines include dry, off-dry and sweet wines.
History and biodiversity
The Adolph Huesgen wine trading business established about six hectares of vineyard in 1889 and built a pond, a caretaker’s house and a winery. He also acquired the medieval ruins of Sommerau Castle, which are connected to the name of the wine site. In the 1960s, Edith and Gustav Willkomm took over the vineyards for the Peter-Mertes family wineries; since then they have been farmed from Bernkastel-Kues. In 2019, the Sommerau Schlossberg was designated a biodiversity “lighthouse” (“Leuchtpunkt”) as part of the initiative Lebendige Moselweinberge.
