Location and landscape
Wahlheim is an Ortsgemeinde in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate and is located in the Rheinhessen region. The municipality lies in a valley location on the Weidasserbach.
Wahlheim’s Schelmen
The wine-growing area Wahlheimer Schelmen lies at an altitude of about 230 to 275 metres and is oriented to the south-east. It covers around 53 hectares; the municipality describes around 50 hectares of winegrowing there. The soils consist of loess-derived pararendzinas as well as limestone-derived rendzinas. The pararendzinas are deep-rooted, calcareous loam soils with a high water storage capacity available to plants. The rendzinas are shallow to medium-depth, stony, sandy loam soils with a high carbonate content and lower water storage capacity.
Wahlheimer Schelmen belongs to the Wonnegau area and to the Großlage Sybillenstein. In the cadastral district of Wahlheim, the site is designated as a single vineyard (Einzellage) Schelmen. The name goes back to the Middle High German word “schelme” for carcass and refers to an old designated clearing for disposal.
History
Archaeological finds provide evidence for a Celtic settlement phase in Wahlheim, a Roman manor farm and a grave from the Merovingian period. Since 1837, Wahlheim has been an independent municipality; previously, the village had been administered jointly with Freimersheim.
