Location and landscape
Veldenz is a wine-growing municipality in a side valley of the Middle Moselle. The town lies below the Hunsrück forests and not directly on the Moselle. The municipal area includes vineyards, wooded hills, meadows and rock formations. Veldenz is therefore part of the Mosel region.
Viticulture and vineyard sites
In the official vineyard sites directory, Veldenz is assigned to the wine-growing region of Mosel, to the area of Bernkastel and to the Großlage Kurfürstlay. Individual sites include Grafschafter Sonnenberg, Kirchberg and Carlsberg. For Grafschafter Sonnenberg, the directory lists 26.7 hectares and for Kirchberg 63.6 hectares; Carlsberg is recorded as a site with only one farming operation. Further vineyard sites associated with Veldenz are Elisenberg and Mühlberg.
Climate and soils
The sheltered valley locations of the Mosel wine-growing area contribute to comparatively warm conditions. In the steep-slope sites, the slopes can reach more than 30 degrees of inclination, which is why the grape harvest is carried out there predominantly by hand. In the Middle Moselle area, Devonian slate shapes the steep locations, while flatter valley areas have sandy and gravelly soils.
History and wine style
The municipal area was settled by Celts and Romans; Roman roads ran through the Veldenz valley. Viticulture was historically an important part of the local economy. On 22 April 1286, King Rudolf I granted Veldenz town rights and a weekly market. Documented wines from the Veldenz Grafschafter Sonnenberg and Kirchberg include dry Riesling and Riesling Spätlese. For Grafschafter Sonnenberg, a still white wine is also documented from old, own-rooted Riesling vines and organic cultivation; the Veldenz Kirchberg is also represented with an edelsüß Riesling.
