Location and landscape
Sponheim is a municipality in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the Rüdesheim collective municipality in the Nahe. The 14.35 km² municipal area lies at about 230 metres above sea level at the transition between the Soonwald and the Nahe valley. Vineyards, fields, meadows and wooded areas shape the surrounding landscape.
Viticulture
For centuries, viticulture has shaped the character of settlement in Sponheim. According to the municipal description, the vineyards benefit from a mild climate at the transition between the Soonwald and the Nahe valley. The soils are diverse. In the register of vineyard sites, the individual sites in the Sponheim municipal area are recorded as Abtei with 31.7 hectares, Grafenberg with 8.4 hectares and Klostergarten with less than one hectare of vines.
Wine style and history
The local wines are predominantly characterised as fresh, elegant white wines and finely structured red wines. The monastery of Sponheim was founded in 1101 by Count Stephan, consecrated in 1123 and in 1124 it was taken over by twelve Benedictine monks. From 1483 onwards, Johannes Trithemius was the 25th abbot and is regarded as the monastery’s best-known scientific figure.
