Location and landscape
Wichmar lies in the Saale valley about 4 kilometres upstream from Camburg. The village is located in a hollow within the Saale floodplain and steps up in terraced fashion on rising ground. The district of Würchhausen is separated from Wichmar by the Saale. Wichmar belongs to the Saale-Unstrut region.
Historic wine-growing
Wine-growing in Wichmar has been documented since 1325. Warm conditions encouraged an expansion of the vineyard areas in the 15th and 16th centuries. Colder winters, increasing risk of frost and shorter summers made yields in the 17th and 18th centuries less reliable.
Terraces and change
The historic vineyard terraces made cultivation easier and reduced erosion caused by heavy rainfall. As the geological basis for wine-growing in Thuringia, shell limestone is mentioned. In the 19th century, wine-growing declined as a result of vine and grape diseases; among other things, downy mildew appeared from about 1860 and phylloxera from about 1875. Former vineyard huts were later used for drying plums.
A fresh start and wine festival
In 2003, wine-growing in Wichmar was taken up again by the hobby winemaker Heiko Rosemann and his family. Since 2010, an annual wine festival held on the last weekend of August has been a reminder of the village’s wine-growing tradition.
