Location and Classification
Steingrüble is a legally defined single vineyard site in the Württemberg wine-growing region, Remstal-Stuttgart area, Großlage Kopf. The specified area includes the designations Großheppach, Kleinheppach, Korb and Waiblingen. The name Steingrüble is given in accordance with the German regulations for wine designations together with the associated municipality or district name.
Topography and Soils
The Großheppach portion is a steep vineyard site open towards the Remstal. There are documented Gipskeuper, quartz sandstone and colourful marl; for Riesling plots, stuben sand is also mentioned. The Korb portion lies on a warm slope and features Gipskeuper, reed sandstone as well as Keuper-weathering material.
Grape Varieties and Wine Styles
Steingrüble has documented Riesling, Chardonnay, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder, Spätburgunder and Kerner. The range of wines includes dry and fine-medium sweet Rieslings, Riesling Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese, as well as dry Weißburgunder and Spätburgunder.
Cultivation and Maturation
For individual wine-growing operations, organic and/or biodynamic cultivation and selective hand-harvesting are documented. A Großheppach Steingrüble Riesling was matured with 18 hours on the skins and spontaneous fermentation in a 600-litre wooden barrel. For a Großheppach Steingrüble Spätburgunder, 20 days of whole-cluster fermentation in wood, twelve months of barrel ageing and six months on fine lees in stainless steel are stated.
