Location and Topography
The Ölberg is a vineyard site at the entrance of Durbach in the Baden wine region Baden. The site, facing west to south, lies at around 220 to 260 metres above sea level and has slopes of up to 80 percent.
Soils and Grape Varieties
The vineyard soils are described as granite weathering soils. For the Ölberg, Clevner (Traminer), Gewürztraminer and Scheurebe are particularly mentioned.
Farming and Wines
The Heinrich Männle winery cultivates the Ölberg among the classic steep-slope sites in an environmentally friendly manner. This includes continuous natural ground cover across the entire surface to build up humus and to reduce erosion.
Documented wines from the Ölberg include dry Gewürztraminer Spätlese, naturally sweet Gewürztraminer Auslese and a dry Gewürztraminer-Riesling Cuvée. The Gewürztraminer is described as expressive, mineral and intensely aromatic; the dry cuvée as mineral-rich, powerful and fresh.
Name and History
The name Ölberg is traced back to an earlier oil mill at the foot of the site, where walnut and rapeseed oil were produced. The Ölberg 1863 cuvée recalls the former heyday of the vineyard, more than 150 years ago, and was produced for the first time with the 2019 vintage. It is designated as quality wine (QbA) from the Baden wine-growing region, i.e. the Ortenau.
