Kaeuzchenberg

The Käuzchenberg is located in the Jena district of Zwätzen in Thuringia and belongs to the wine-growing region Saale-Unstrut. The address associated with the vineyard is Jägerbergstraße 30, 07743 Jena. The site is oriented in a north-south direction, has a slope of about 35 percent and features stone terraces. These were built from Muschelkalk. For the area of Jena, an average annual temperature of just under 9 °C is stated. The official list of classified vineyard sites for 2024 lists the Jena Käuzchenberg, with 1,0176 hectares of planted vineyard area, as a single site in Zwätzen.

The current form of the Zwätzen vineyard was created between 1926 and 1928 for the Agricultural Faculty of Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Until 1953, the vineyard formed part of the university teaching and experimental operation and produced an average of about 12 tonnes of grapes. In 1963, the site was abandoned; parts of the lower area were converted into arable land, while the terraces were subsequently grazed by sheep. In 1976, the former vineyard was rediscovered. From 1978, an initial private replanting took place, until by 1984 the site had been restored with around 5,000 vines. As early as 1981, the newly planted vineyard resumed production.

The Käuzchenberg is cultivated by Weinberg Zwätzen e.V., which has 17 members. In years with plenty of rain and cool temperatures, the winegrowers carry out selective picking passes repeated about weekly and remove unsuitable grapes in order to protect the quality of the remaining harvested crop. In good years, after preliminary sorting and grading, up to about 5.5 tonnes of grapes can be produced. The varieties planted are Müller-Thurgau, Weißburgunder, Blauer Portugieser and Dornfelder.

The vineyard produces three main wines: Müller-Thurgau, Weißburgunder, and a red wine cuvée made from Blauer Portugieser and Dornfelder. Müller-Thurgau accounts for around 60 percent of the annual wine production, the red wine cuvée for about 25 percent and Weißburgunder for about 15 percent. Weißburgunder is described as dry, with noticeable fine acidity, and is harvested several weeks after Müller-Thurgau. The grapes are processed on behalf of the Thüringer Weingut Bad Sulza. White grapes are harvested separately, pressed and bottled; Blauer Portugieser and Dornfelder are harvested together and processed as a blended must for the red wine cuvée. The grapes are delivered to the winery quickly and processed immediately. The wines are produced as Qualitätswein; production as a Prädikatswein is not possible every year.