Location and landscape
The Wurmberg is an officially recognised single vineyard in the wine-growing region Württemberg. The terraced vineyards lie on the slopes of the Neckar valley near Hessigheim, below the Hessigheim rock gardens, and are assigned to the communities of Besigheim, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Gemmrigheim, Hessigheim and Walheim.
Terraces and soils
The steep, terraced slopes reach, in local descriptions, a gradient of around 50 per cent. Dry-stone walls, water terraces and stone retaining walls shape the historic cultural landscape on the eastern steep bank of a Neckar bend. The soils consist of shell limestone, material from shell limestone weathering and deeper-lying, rocky limestone.
Climate and cultivation
The south-facing location has a locally favourable microclimate. Vineyard walls store the warmth of the day and release it again at night. The steep terraces are preserved as a historical wine-growing landscape with walls and steps; local descriptions mention cultivation by hand.
Grape varieties and history
At the Wurmberg, Trollinger, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lemberger and Riesling are documented. A documented wine from the Besigheimer Wurmberg is a dry Riesling. A vineyard map dated 18 July 1791 refers to a vineyard called Wurmberg on the road to Hessigheim and on the Neckar. The terraces are documented as historic vineyards and as part of the protected cultural landscape of the Neckar valley.
