Location and landscape
Vendersheim is a municipality in the wine-growing region Rheinhessen in Rhineland-Palatinate. The village lies at an altitude of about 217 metres and, according to the local administration, is one of the highest-lying villages in the Alzey-Worms district. Vineyards form a horseshoe-shaped arc opening to the south-west around Vendersheim.
Winegrowing and climate
Winegrowing shapes the land use of the municipality; the local administration puts the area of vineyards at around 160 hectares. The elevated location is associated with more than 1,500 hours of sunshine each year. In suitable weather conditions, the surrounding valleys may lie in mist, while Vendersheim remains in the sunlight.
Vendersheim Sonnenberg
The single vineyard Vendersheimer Sonnenberg belongs to the cadastral area of Vendersheim, to the Bingen area and to the Grand Cru Kurfürstenstück within Rheinhessen’s winegrowing region structure. The south-facing site extends up to 225 metres. Sandy and clayey marl as well as limestone shape the soils. Depending on the type of soil, powerful, full-bodied wines with well-balanced acidity or mineral, chalky and lively wines are described, with notes of citrus, apple, gooseberry and, later on, tropical fruit.
History of winegrowing
According to the Verbandsgemeinde, Vendersheim was first mentioned in a document in 1426. A document from 1414 refers to the fief Fenderßheim under the rule of Kempenich; later, the place is assigned to the family of Faust von Stromberg and subsequently, until 1798, to the Counts of Eltz. In 1902, a winegrowers’ cooperative was founded in Vendersheim, after favourable wine imports had affected local wine prices.
