Location and climate
Wiesloch is a town in the north-west of Baden-Württemberg in the Rhein-Neckar district and belongs to the region Baden. The town lies at the southern end of the wine-growing region known as Badische Bergstraße. The climate is characterised by mild winters and warm summers. Wiesloch is located in the climate district of the middle Upper Rhine Rift; the average annual temperature is about 9 °C, and the annual precipitation is about 700 to 750 millimetres.
Landscape and geology
The town area includes gently hilly terrain of the Kraichgau. The market square is approximately 130 metres above sea level. In parts of the area, Quaternary loess, slope and flood deposits lie over the Upper Muschelkalk. The Muschelkalk formations contain a historically documented lead-zinc-silver deposit; near-surface mineralised Muschelkalk is regarded in some areas as a possible source of heavy-metal contamination.
Viticulture and vineyard sites
Wiesloch-Dielheim is a significant wine-growing area, with a special concentration of vineyard plots south of Wiesloch in the Hägenich area. The wine site Hägenich lies near the point where the municipal boundaries of Wiesloch, Rauenberg and Dielheim come together. Also associated with Wiesloch are the sites Bergwäldle and Spitzenberg.
For Bergwäldle, Spätburgunder vines as well as a delicately full-bodied Spätburgunder Rosé and a dry Spätburgunder Kabinett are documented. A historical report mentions, for the period before 1812, Elbling and Gutedel as vine varieties grown in Wiesloch, including in the areas of Bergwäldle and Spitzenberg.
History
Wiesloch was first mentioned in a document in the year 801 under the name “Wezzinloch”. Johann Philipp Bronner, whom the town refers to as a pioneer of viticulture, lived in Wiesloch and is commemorated in the historic town centre.
