Location and classification
Liebenberg, as Osthofener Liebenberg, is a single vineyard site in the district of Osthofen in Rheinhessen. The site belongs to the Wonnegau sub-region and to the Großlage Pilgerpfad. It is listed as a Rheinhessen single vineyard site in the German origin classification.
Terrain and soils
A documented parcel lies on flat terrain at an elevation of 117.5 metres and is planted in a north-south direction. For the site, loess-pararendzina and marl-pararendzina are specified. The calcareous loess forms deep, light loam with clayey silty components, with good water storage that is available to plants and good root penetration. Marl-pararendzina is a deep, strongly calcareous clay soil from Tertiary marine deposits; swellable clay limits permeability and aeration.
Name and viticulture
The site name is documented in 1254 as “in liben berc” and is traced back to the personal name Liebo. A documented parcel measuring 0.28 hectares was planted in 1986 with the rootstock 125 AA. Müller-Thurgau is proven there.
Wines and cultivation
Osthofener Liebenberg is associated with dry white wines made from Riesling, Grauburgunder and Grünfränkisch; Grünfränkisch is also marketed as Bormeo Verd. A documented wine bears the designation Deutscher Qualitätswein b.A., Rheinhessen. In the described experimental parcel, three leaf-cutting measures were carried out in 2016 and 2017, the soil was worked once in spring, and no organic or synthetic fertiliser was used. Care between the vines was carried out with permanent green cover and a glyphosate application in spring.
