Site and history
Wallmauer is a named vineyard site of the Burg Hornberg winery in Neckarzimmern in the wine-growing region Württemberg. It lies on the steep, terraced vineyards below Burg Hornberg and forms one of the two named sites of the winery. Viticulture at the castle has been documented since a charter from the year 1184.
Terraces and climate
The vineyards are located in the main shell limestone of the Neckar valley; the landscape of Neckarzimmern is partly overlaid by Keuper clays. The Neckar has a moderating effect on the climate. The dry stone walls store the sun’s warmth and release it again later, contributing to thermal balance.
Cultivation and grape varieties
Wallmauer is/was cultivated as a steep-slope vineyard with terraces and supporting dry-stone walls. Machine work is not possible on the winery’s steep sites. Documented work includes manual vine pruning, soil cultivation, leaf work and hand-harvesting. The dry-stone walls also serve for drainage and provide a habitat for animals and insects.
Wines and processing
Historically, in the steep terraces of Burg Hornberg, including the Wallmauer site, Muscateller and Traminer were grown. For the winery, Chardonnay, Riesling, Rivaner, Weißburgunder, Lemberger, Regent, Samtrot, Spätburgunder, Trollinger and Urban are also documented. Under the name Neckarzimmerner Wallmauer, Müller-Thurgau and Kerner wines are documented, which underwent the German quality wine testing procedure. The grapes were processed directly in the press house below the castle; maturation took place in the historic castle cellar.
