Location and landscape
Weikersheim lies in the Tauber valley in Württemberg, at the confluence of the Vorbach and the Tauber. The town area belongs to the landscape areas of Eastern Tauberland and Upper Tauber Valley and is shaped by strongly divided valley terrain, high plateaus and hillside locations.
Climate and soils
The Tauberland around Weikersheim is among the comparatively sunny, dry and warmth-favoured areas of Baden-Württemberg. The average annual temperature is 8.0 °C, and annual rainfall is about 570 to 750 millimetres. The landscape consists mostly of Muschelkalk; in the Eastern Tauberland there are sometimes loess-clay coverings.
Winegrowing
The sun-exposed slopes of the Tauber valley are considered particularly suitable for fruit growing and winegrowing. Among the vineyard sites associated with Weikersheim is Karlsberg. Historic stone terraces and stone ridges bear witness to earlier cultivation; preserved stone ridges have been protected since 1992 as natural monuments and biotopes. In Weikersheim, among others, Riesling, Grauburgunder, Sauvignon Blanc, Samtrot and wines from Tauberschwarz are documented.
History and grape varieties
Weikersheim has a history of more than 1,180 years and was first mentioned in the ninth century. The town was long associated with the counts of Hohenlohe. In the district of Schäftersheim, which was first mentioned in documentary records in 1146, a Premonstratensian monastery was founded in 1162. There, Tauberschwarz and Schäftersheimer Kerner are described as preferred grape varieties; Schäftersheim lies in the Württemberg winegrowing region and forms the northern access to the Württemberg Wine Route.
