Location and landscape
Fuchsmantel is a site spanning multiple municipalities in the Pfalz, stretching across the areas of Bad Dürkheim and Wachenheim along the Wine Route. The vineyards lie below the flag tower and enclose the hill in an upper section described as a “collar” and a lower section that widens like a “rail”.
Soils and topography
The upper section is considered comparatively dry and warms up quickly, while the lower part has heavier soils that are better supplied with moisture. Named are sandstone (Buntsandstein), sand, loam and loess; in the Wachenheim section, sandstone is described alongside loam. There the aspect is south-easterly, at about 150 to 220 metres above sea level, with a slope gradient of 10 to 20 per cent.
Historic terraces and dry-stone walls shape individual plots. For the terraced Wachenheim area, Muschelkalk and calcareous material, as well as old Riesling vines, are also mentioned.
Grape varieties and wine style
For the classified Wachenheimer Fuchsmantel, the VDP lists Riesling and Spätburgunder. In the Dürkheim section, Silvaner and Riesling are mentioned. The lighter soils in the upper section are associated with light, fresh and fruit-forward white wines, while the heavier soils in the lower section are associated with denser and more powerful white wines.
History and classification
The first documentary references to the Wachenheim area, according to a published account, go back as far as the 17th century; viticulture there is described as being older. The Rhineland-Palatinate wine sites directory lists Fuchsmantel under code 821403 with 15.0 hectares of planted vineyard area in Bad Dürkheim and 14.3 hectares in Wachenheim. The VDP lists Wachenheimer Fuchsmantel as VDP.ERSTE LAGE® with a classified area of 33.00 hectares.
For a documented Riesling of the 2019 vintage, a maceration time of about ten hours is given. After that, the wine matured partly in stainless-steel tanks and partly in small wooden casks.
