Location and winegrowing
Walsheim is a winegrowing municipality in the Hainbachtal at the foot of the Palatinate Forest and belongs to Pfalz. The municipality comprises 515 hectares, of which around 220 hectares are devoted to vineyard sites. The vineyards are located in a gently hilly landscape around the village.
Walsheimer Silberberg
The Silberberg is a legally registered single vineyard site in Walsheim. It belongs to the larger site Bischofskreuz and to the area of South German Wine Route (Südliche Weinstraße); the site number is 810119. In the vineyard register 2024, the single vineyard is recorded with a planted area of 230.4 hectares. The soils are described as loess with deeper-lying calcareous layers; for Walsheimer Silberberg Chardonnay, a high proportion of lime is indicated.
Grape varieties and wine styles
From the Walsheimer Silberberg Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder), Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) and a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are documented. The wines range from dry Chardonnay Kabinett and dry Gewürztraminer Spätlese to a remainder-sweet or sweet Riesling Beerenauslese. For a Chardonnay from the 2023 vintage, organic farming and vegan production are documented. The grapes were hand-preselected; the maturation took place in small French oak barrels.
History
Walsheim is first mentioned in 769 under the name Walahesheim in a document associated with the Lorsch Abbey. During clearance work around 1900, a Frankish grave lined with stone was discovered in the Silberberg, which was covered by a Roman tombstone. The land consolidation in Walsheim took place from 1964 to 1980.
