Location and landscape
The Nahe wine-growing region is located in Rhineland-Palatinate along the Nahe. It extends from the mouth into the Rhine near Bingen (Bingerbrück) to the area in front of Kirn, and also includes the side valleys of Guldenbach, Gräfenbach, Glan and Alsenz. The lower section between Bingen am Rhein and Bad Kreuznach is considered mild and relatively dry; the upper Nahe and the side valleys are influenced by cooler air from the Soonwald, the Hunsrück and the North Palatinate Uplands.
Climate and soils
The average daytime temperature is 9.3 °C, while the average temperature during the growing season is 13.8 °C. On average, 580 millimetres of precipitation fall annually, about 60 per cent of it during the growing season. Viticulture takes place on gently undulating slopes as well as on sunny steep and very steep sites. The soils and rocks range from Devonian sandstones, clay slates, quartzites, green schists and phyllites to Rotliegend rocks with latite, andesite and basalt, as well as tertiary sands and marine marl.
Grape varieties and wine style
The region comprises more than 4,200 hectares of productive vineyard area. White grape varieties account for about 75 per cent of the vineyard area; significant varieties include Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Grauburgunder. Also White Burgundy, Ruländer, Green Silvaner, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Blue Spätburgunder are among the defining varieties. Among the red grape varieties, Dornfelder, Spätburgunder, Regent and Portugieser play an important role.
The wines range from light, delicate, fresh and lively expressions through to powerful, rounded and complex sweet wines. Clear acidity and minerality are characteristic. Riesling in particular shows the differences between the terroirs particularly clearly. In the lower Nahe, Burgundy varieties and red varieties with higher climatic demands are also to the fore, while the cooler upper Nahe produces late-ripening Riesling with pronounced aroma and acidity.
History and legal status
A document from the Lorsch Abbey dating from 766 mentions Norheim and is regarded as the oldest proof of viticulture in the Nahe wine-growing region. Since 1971, the Nahe has been an independent German wine-growing region; previously, its wines were marketed as Rhein wine. “Nahe” is a defined German wine-growing region for Qualitätswein, Qualitätsschaumwein, Qualitätsperlwein and wines with Prädikat.
