Location and classification
Altärchen is a legally registered single vineyard in Trittenheim in the Mosel wine-growing region, in the Bernkastel area and the Großlage Michelsberg. The site lies mostly on the Mosel side facing the village, downstream of Trittenheim, on the left bank. The official site code is 410425; for 2024, 139.0 hectares of planted area are recorded.
Relief and soils
Altärchen includes documented steep vineyard sites, including a managed section with a slope of 65 percent. The south-facing orientation, the proximity to the Mosel and slate outcrops shape the conditions for heat storage and ripening. The plots contain grey and blue slate as well as weathered clay and slate soils; flatter areas have sandy to loamy soils. For the steep sites, old vines with deep root systems are documented.
Grape varieties and wine styles
Riesling is one of the most important grape varieties of the site and is offered as Trittenheimer Altärchen Riesling. Dry and delicately off-dry Kabinett wines are documented, as well as Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Eiswein. Weissburgunder also comes from Altärchen; one producer sources this variety exclusively from the single vineyard. Spätburgunder is represented in fruity and dry red wines, including an example matured in barrique.
Cultivation and name
The grapes are harvested selectively by hand by the farming estates, often in several passes. Documented practices also include reduced vine pruning or yield reduction, as well as careful grape processing. In Altärchen Riesling, among other things, spontaneous fermentation, selective pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation and ageing in stainless steel or in traditional wooden casks occur. The name Altärchen is historically associated with vineyards that were once designated as a benefice for a priest or altar server of the parish church.
