Location and climate
Wolfsheim is a municipality in the region Rheinhessen in Rhineland-Palatinate and lies north of the Wißberg. The settlement is located on a slope facing south and is surrounded by vineyards. Rheinhessen has a mean annual temperature of 11.1 °C, an average annual precipitation of 530 mm, a vegetation period of around 280 days and about 1,970 mean annual sunshine hours.
Vineyards and soils
The vineyard sites in the Wolfsheim cadastral area, in the Bingen area, belong to the Großlage Abtey. These include the single sites Götzenborn, Osterberg and Sankt Kathrin. For Götzenborn, loess-pararendzina as well as marl-pelosol are documented. Osterberg and Sankt Kathrin have marl-pelosol as well as limestone-rendzina.
History
Wolfsheim is first documented in the year 1429. Archaeological finds provide evidence of settlements from several eras. Near a Roman burial ground, in 1870 a richly furnished grave dating from around 400 AD was discovered.
Administration and place names
From 1798 onwards, Wolfsheim belonged to the canton of Wörrstadt in the Donnersberg département, and in 1816 the town became part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Since 1972, Wolfsheim has belonged to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sprendlingen-Gensingen and, since 1974, to the Mainz-Bingen district. The name Osterberg is already documented in the 12th century as “im Osterberg” and refers to the eastern location of the vineyard. Sankt Kathrin goes back to an earlier field chapel dedicated to Saint Catherine.
