Location and topography
The Honey Mountain (Honigberg) is a vineyard site in the area of Maring-Noviand on the Middle Moselle, at the edge of a side valley. The south-facing steep slope has a gradient of around 20 to 40 percent.
Soil
The subsoil consists of blue and grey Devonian slate. The slate is partially strongly weathered; the site is described as more deep-rooting and less stony than nearby slate vineyards.
Riesling and wine styles
From the Maring-Noviand Honigberg, Riesling is documented as a dry late harvest as well as a sweet late harvest and an Auslese. Other documented wines are sweet Rieslings in the categories Auslese and Hochgewächs.
Legal designation and cultivation
In September 2018, the land consolidation procedure Maring-Noviand–Honigberg received the new legal status. A municipal by-law changed the official designation for the locality of Maring from “Maring-Noviander Honigberg” to “Maringer Honigberg”. Wineries cultivating the Honigberg report on controlled organic viticulture or organic viticulture, promotion of biodiversity and the use of flower and herb mixtures to protect bees. For maturation, traditional fuder barrels and stainless-steel tanks are mentioned; in addition, gravity methods and temperature-controlled spontaneous fermentation are among the described winery practices.
