Location and classification
Sonnenberg is an officially designated single-vineyard site in Württemberg, Bereich Württembergisch Unterland. The name is assigned to the municipalities of Flein, Heilbronn and Talheim and belongs to the Großlage Kirchenweinberg. The contiguous wine-growing area comprises Flein, the southern part of Heilbronn and Talheim in the Heilbronn district.
Relief and climate
The Sonnenberg in Talheim reaches about 303.6 metres above sea level. The terrain rises from the Neckar valley and falls north-westwards in stepped terraces to the Neckar valley and the Heilbronn basin. The Talheim section lies on the Schozach plates, where air stagnation near the Löwenstein hills is associated with higher cloud cover and humidity than in the nearby Zabergäu.
Soils and grape varieties
The landscape is shaped by Keuper marl (Gipskeuper) and other Keuper formations; parts of the surrounding high plateaus are covered with loess and loess loam. On sun-favoured slopes in Talheim there are deep, mechanically loosened, marl-containing parent soils as well as calcareous clay marl and other Keuper soils. Flein has Sonnenberg as one of its significant wine-growing sites and lists Riesling, Schwarzriesling and Samtrot as grape varieties grown in the municipality.
Winegrowing in Flein
In Flein, viticulture is a long-standing and significant component of the local history.
