Nußriegel

Nußriegel is a single vineyard in the Ungsteiner district of Bad Dürkheim in the Palatinate. It belongs to the wine-growing region Pfalz and to the area Mittelhaardt–Deutsche Weinstraße. The site borders on the Weilberg. In the Rheinland-Pfalz vineyard register, it is listed under number 820602 with 68.7 hectares of planted vineyard area. The VDP classifies Ungsteiner Nußriegel as VDP.ERSTE LAGE®.

The south-facing wine-growing area lies at an altitude of 110 to 150 metres and has a slope gradient of five to 15 per cent. For Nußriegel, a warm microclimate is described; accordingly, the start of vegetation is several days earlier than in comparable higher-lying sites near Kallstadt. Bunter sandstone and loess loam are given as soil materials. In the region, limestone, sand and loam are also described, with heat-storing sandy soils in some sections and heavier calcareous marl soils in others. The name refers to former walnut trees at the site.

Riesling, Silvaner and Scheurebe are documented for Nußriegel. In the VDP-classified plantings, Pinot Noir also occurs. Producer documentation also provides evidence of plantings or wines from Merlot and Chardonnay.

A documented wine from Nußriegel is a dry Riesling made from 100 per cent Riesling, described as powerful and harmonious. For this wine, cover cropping with buckwheat, clover and radish, horse manure, manual removal of double shoots, and thinning of shoots to improve the ventilation of the grapes are given. After hand-harvesting, the wine is pressed as whole bunches; spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts takes place without clarification. Maturation takes place in traditional large wooden casks and stainless steel, with extended time on the lees, later addition of sulphur and without fining. For a documented Merlot from the site, early green harvest, hand-harvesting and reduced yields are cited; it ferments on the skins and matures for about 18 months in small barriques.