Naumburger Sonneck
Sonneck, as Naumburger Sonneck, is a vineyard in the wine-growing region of Saale-Unstrut. According to the VDP, the single site covers 15.00 hectares; in the official register of vineyard sites, 19.0210 hectares are recorded as of 31 December 2024.
Site and soil
The vineyard faces south, lies at 150 to 200 metres above sea level, and has a slope gradient of around 25 per cent. The geological subsoil consists of Bunter sandstone. The region records around 1,600 hours of sunshine and about 500 millimetres of rainfall per year. Protected south-facing slopes and river valleys favour local thermal conditions; winter and spring frosts are among the documented risks.
Grape varieties and viticulture
The classified grape varieties are given as Riesling, Grauburgunder and Zweigelt. The wineries Pawis and Hey work in the site. Naumburger Sonneck is listed by the VDP as VDP.ERSTE LAGE®; this is a VDP classification designation and not a statutory German vineyard classification.
Historical reference
Regional viticulture for the property associated with Sonneck and Badehoek has been documented since 998. A renewed development is linked to the founding of the Cistercian monastery Claustrum Sancta Mariae ad Portam in 1137. The property was used for wine-growing and as a weekend residence until the middle of the 1970s and was acquired between 1975 and 1978 by the culture fund of the GDR.
