Location and landscape
Steinheim an der Murr is situated in the lower Murr valley in the north-eastern part of the Ludwigsburg district in Württemberg. The Bottwar runs through the town and flows into the Murr near the town centre. The municipal area includes Steinheim, Kleinbottwar and Höpfigheim.
The municipal area extends from about 188 metres above sea level at the Beutenmühlebach to roughly 393 metres at the Grießberg.
Wine-growing in Kleinbottwar
Wine-growing in Kleinbottwar is linked to protected sites and frequent formation of dew in the Bottwar valley. Wine-growing at Burg Schaubeck has been documented since 1297. Historically, red and white grape varieties were planted mixed, harvested together and processed into Schiller wine.
The historically cultivated grape varieties included, among others, Sylvaner, Elbling, Trollinger, Gutedel, Fütterer, Affenthaler, Clevner, Muscateller, Traminer, Veltliner and Riesling. In the terraced vineyards, in the 1950s a cable railway made it easier to transport the grape baskets; the land consolidation in the 1980s subsequently made machine cultivation possible.
Vineyards and soils
The Kleinbottwar sites have southern to south-western exposures and different slope gradients: the Kleinbottwarer Lichtenberg reaches 15 to 30 per cent, the Obere Berg 35 to 50 per cent and the Götzenberg around 50 per cent. In the Obere Berg, Keuper and Muschelkalk are documented, in the Götzenberg Keuper. The Lichtenberg has gypsum Keuper, marl and siliceous sandstone.
The Süßmund lies on Keuper and reed sandstone soils. Götzenberg, Obere Berg and Süßmund are classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE, Kleinbottwarer Lichtenberg as VDP.ERSTE LAGE. Lemberger is specified for Obere Berg and Lichtenberg, Spätburgunder for Götzenberg, and Lemberger and Riesling for Süßmund.
Historical cellar management
The historical wine-growing at Schaubeck was accompanied by careful cellar management. Over several centuries, strict cellar regulations governed production.
