Location and landscape
Bischofshub is a single vineyard site near Oberdiebach in the wine-growing region Mittelrhein. The area lies south-west of Oberdiebach in a side valley of the Upper Middle Rhine. The south-facing slope drains towards the Diebach.
Soils and terraces
The soils consist of medium-heavy clayey slate-weathering soils from Hunsrück slate. In steeper areas, there is a clearly slate-rich, gravelly material. The slopes are terraced with dry-stone walls, which in 2013 were still largely intact.
Climate
For the regional Middle Rhine climate, average figures are given as 1 °C in January, 18.5 °C in July and 9 °C for the annual mean. Annual rainfall is 500 to 600 mm.
History and current use
At the time of the first land consolidation, around 50 to 60 years before a report from 2013, Bischofshub was regarded as one of the largest contiguous vineyard sites on the Middle Rhine. A historical record names the place Bischoffshoff in 1669 and links it with the cultivation of Bischofs-Hub wine. The associated estate was uninhabited at the time, and the press was not operational, so the grapes were brought to Bacharach in autumn for processing.
Today, the area consists mainly of former vineyards in a well-kept, semi-open landscape. Since 2010, Exmoor ponies and Burenziegen have kept the vegetation open; grazing is continued by GNOR on its own and leased land. Measures for landscape management and the removal of spruces are intended to protect the former terraces from becoming overgrown.
