Location and Classification
The Kapellenberg, also known as the Heimersheimer Kapellenberg, is a single-vineyard site in the Heimersheim district of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in the wine region Ahr. The site lies south of the Ahr and the Ehlinger Ley, to the east of Ehlingen and in the lower Ahr valley. Downstream, it is the last planted vineyard site before the vineyard landscape gives way to orchards and the Ahr approaches the Rhine.
Climate and Terrain
The broad valley receives sunshine again even late in the evening, as the volcanic cone of Landskrone only casts shade on it relatively late. The lower Ahr wine-growing area records about 1,450 hours of sunshine per year. For Bad Neuenahr, a mean annual temperature of 10.2 °C and around 654 mm of annual precipitation are given.
The Kapellenberg is oriented to the west to south-west and lies at around 100 to 150 metres above sea level. About half of the area consists of steep slopes, the other half of hillsides; in the steep areas the gradients reach up to 50 percent.
Soils and Grape Varieties
The predominant soils are weathered slate, supplemented by colluvial loess and loess-clay soils. On the slate-derived weathering soils, wines are described as delicate-fruited, while the colluvial and loess-clay soils produce more robust and full-bodied wines.
The designated vineyard area covers 22 hectares; in the 2024 vineyard register, around 17.9 hectares of this were planted with vines. Recorded are Spätburgunder, Portugieser, Frühburgunder and Weißburgunder. Of these, about 11 hectares are Spätburgunder, 4 hectares are Portugieser, and each 1 hectare is Frühburgunder and Weißburgunder.
Name and History
The namesake is the Ehlinger Hubertus Chapel. It was first mentioned around the middle of the 17th century, received its current form in the 18th century and is dated to the year 1793 in the local description. In 1957, the Kapellenberg was reorganised as part of a land consolidation. As a result, it was the first vineyard site on the Ahr where this procedure was applied; as the reason, prior frost damage was cited.
In terms of wine law, the Kapellenberg is classified as a single-vineyard (Einzellage) of the Großlage Klosterberg in the Walporzheim/Ahr valley area of the protected wine-growing region Ahr.
