Location and terraces
The Palmberg terraces are an officially listed wine-growing site in Sankt Aldegund on the Mosel, in the area of Burg Cochem and within the Großlage Grafschaft. They lie north of the built-up area opposite the historic Romanesque church ensemble. The sheltered site, which is oriented to the south to south-east, is located in a side valley above Sankt Aldegund.
The steep slope, which is fully terraced, has an average incline of more than 60 percent. In the steeper western and northern areas there is a dense network of dry stone walls, while the flatter central area is structurally less varied.
Soil and vine stock
The stony, mineral-rich subsoil of the documented plots consists of grey and blue slate. The official vineyard site directory lists, for the Palmberg terraces in the 2024 harvest edition, a planted vineyard area of 1.5 hectares. One plot of the Stein winery covers about 1.1 hectares and is planted with 70- to 100-year-old, own-root vines in a single-stake training system. The most important grape variety documented is Riesling.
History and cultivation
The Palmberg terraces are considered to be a historical wine-growing landscape; a land consolidation (Flurbereinigung) has not taken place there. The name Palmberg is connected with the local term for boxwood, which occurs in a large boxwood field near the wine site.
The cultivation of the steep slate slopes is carried out mostly on foot and by hand. This includes vine pruning, planting, tying in, work on the canopy, plant protection and harvesting. The winery reports very low yields, a high level of work, groundcover maintenance by mowing or incorporating the vegetation, as well as the use of beneficial organisms and pheromone methods. Yields are stated as approximately 4,000 to 6,000 litres per hectare.
Wine styles and maturation
Rieslings are made from the Palmberg terraces in dry Kabinett wines, dry and finely off-dry Spätlesen, and, depending on the vintage, in sweet Auslese wines. For the white wines, the grapes are pneumatically pressed on the day of harvest, fermented under temperature control, and matured on fine lees in stainless steel and wooden vessels. Bottling generally takes place in spring or in late summer.
