Location and classification
Zuckerle is a legally designated single vineyard in Stuttgart and extends across the city districts of Bad Cannstatt, Hofen, Münster and Mühlhausen. From a wine-law perspective, the site is assigned to the Großlage Weinsteige in the wine-growing region Württemberg.
Terraces and soils
In the Mühlhausen area, the vineyard lies directly by the Neckar. The bend in the river there provides a southwesterly exposure; the steep slopes and the proximity to the Neckar contribute to a favourable local wine-growing climate. Terraces with dry stone walls shape the site, with the slope steepness allowing the vines in Mühlhausen to receive almost perpendicular sunlight.
The subsoil is characterised by weathered Muschelkalk and calcareous soils. Muschelkalk rendzinas are described, with a high proportion of limestone fragments.
Cultivation and grape varieties
The steep terraces are farmed by hand, and the dry stone walls require ongoing care. A municipal plot in the Cannstatter Zuckerle is in the process of conversion to organic viticulture.
In municipal plots, among other varieties, Merlot, Lemberger, Riesling, Trollinger, Cabernet Sauvignon and Weißburgunder are documented. Further documented plantings in the Cannstatter Zuckerle include Spätburgunder, Samtrot, Dornfelder, Grauburgunder and Müller-Thurgau.
Documented wines and development
From the Cannstatter Zuckerle, dry Riesling and dry Merlot are documented. The Riesling is described as having a mineral character of the site and a distinct acidity. It fermented spontaneously in a stainless-steel tank and remained on full lees until bottling. The Merlot underwent spontaneous fermentation of the must and matured for 18 months in new and used wooden barrels with a capacity of 300 and 500 litres.
After severe winter frosts in February 1956, the municipal winery Stuttgart, together with the Agricultural College Hohenheim, carried out frost-protection trials in the Cannstatter Zuckerle. In 2015, the Steiler Zucker project was created, which acquired an 18-are vineyard site in Mühlhausen in order to preserve the terraces and dry stone walls.
