Location and character
The König vineyard is a 1.3-hectare vineyard in the Bodman district of the municipality of Bodman-Ludwigshafen in Baden-Württemberg. The small, exposed wine-growing site is located near the shore of Lake Constance.
History
The planting of Pinot grapevines is attributed to Emperor Charles III., known as Charles the Fat, in the year 884. The vineyard is continuously tended and has been farmed by the von Bodman family since 1277.
Cultivation and grape varieties
The König vineyard is farmed according to the guidelines of organic farming by Naturland; in 2010 the wines received the EU organic seal. The grapes are hand-harvested. After rain, the leaves are removed manually so that the vines dry off better before the harvest. Planted are Pinot Noir (Blauer Spätburgunder), Müller-Thurgau and Souvignier Gris. Some vines were replaced in 2011 by Souvignier Gris, as this variety is described as being more resistant to downy mildew.
Wines
Pinot Noir is produced as a dry red wine and as a semi-dry rosé (Weißherbst), with Müller-Thurgau produced as a dry white wine. The Pinot Noir wines mature at the state winery in Meersburg. Each year, around 7,000 bottles of red wine, rosé and white wine are bottled under the designation Graf von and zu Bodman, Königsweingarten.
