Location and classification
Goldberge is a legally registered single vineyard in the district of Gensingen in Rheinhessen. It belongs to the area of Bingen and to the large vineyard St. Rochuskapelle. The winegrowing cadastre of Rhineland-Palatinate records a vineyard area of 128.2 hectares for this location.
Climate and soils
The vineyards lie at the foot of the Kieselberg. Wind protection creates a calm, warm microclimate there. The soils consist of sand, loam and heavy, calcareous marl. Documented are marl-pararendzinas with calcareous loams and sands from tertiary marine deposits, as well as deep, calcareous clay with a high proportion of swelling clay, restricted water supply and aeration, a high nutrient content and strong calcareousness.
Grape varieties and wine styles
The grape varieties documented for Goldberge include, among others, Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Bacchus, Scheurebe, Kerner, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Morio-Muskat and Sauvignon Blanc. For the red cultivation, Dornfelder, Blauer Portugieser, Spätburgunder, Domina, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Frühburgunder, Cabernet Dorsa and St. Laurent are documented.
Documented Goldberge wines include dry Sauvignon Blanc, dry Chardonnay and Riesling as Spätlese, delicately sweetish Pinot Blanc as Spätlese, as well as dry Spätburgunder, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot as Auslese. In addition, a rosé quality wine from Rheinhessen with the designation Goldberge is documented.
Vine cultivation and vinification
Documented work in the vineyard includes reduced vine pruning in spring, intensive work on the leaves with the removal of leaves from the bunch zone, and a green harvest by removing diseased or unripe grapes. The majority of the harvest is carried out mechanically; the grapes are already separated from the stalks in the vineyard.
For the white wines, gentle pressing, clarification and controlled fermentation at 12 to 15 °C are documented. In red wine production, part of the grapes is de-stemmed, briefly warmed and then cooled again, while the remaining part is macerated for about seven days with daily plunging down or pump-overs. After that, all red wines undergo biological acid reduction.
