Location and classification
Domgarten is a registered wine-growing site in Winningen in the winegrowing region Mosel. The site extends around the town. In the wine-growing sites directory, it is listed under number 440536 for the municipality and cadastral district of Winningen; the registered planted area in 2024 was 50.5 hectares.
Name, terrain and soils
The name Domgarten refers to the medieval vineyard holdings of the cathedral chapters of Aachen and Cologne. The site includes both flatter sections and steeper vineyard areas. Quarzitic rock, loess, pumice and sandy slate have been documented. The flatter areas are described as sandy-loamy, while in the steeper sections there is more slate.
Grape varieties and wine styles
For Winningen’s Domgarten, Riesling and a Spätburgunder parcel within the Domgarten holdings have been documented. In April 2021, Zweigelt vines were also planted in the winegrowing area of the site as part of a trial project. The local administration describes Domgarten wines as full-bodied and powerful estate wines. Dry and gently off-dry Rieslings as well as Kabinett, Spätlese, Eiswein and Hochgewächs are documented.
Cultivation and vinification
A documented producer picks the lower and upper sections separately and with around a week’s difference, in order to reflect differences in sun exposure and ripeness. In two wines from the same site, one was fermented spontaneously and the other with pure-culture yeast; the lot fermented with pure-culture yeast had a higher alcohol content.
