Saxony (wine region)
The wine region of Saxony is one of the smallest and easternmost wine region of Germany, set out in § 3 para 1 No. 12 wine law. It is located almost exclusively in the conurbation of Dresden in the valley of the Elbe. The positions are located in Saxony and in small parts also in Jessen, Saxony -Anhalt and Brandenburg. Well-known wine villages are Meissen, which is eponymous for the main area, and Radebeul. The growing area is presented by an elected annually Saxon Wine Queen.
History
The Chronicle of the Bishop of Merseburg Thietmar reported that already in the Gau Nisan to 929 in the Elbe valley vines were encountered during the penetration of the troops of Henry I.. A next documentary evidence dates back to 1161, from which handed a certificate that in Meissen opposite the castle, a vineyard was laid out on the eastern slope of the Meisatals. For more than 850 years of vines are cultivated in Saxony.
Fabled traditions, according to the cultivated cultivation should go back to Bishop Benno of Meissen. At the turn of the 19th to 20th century, phylloxera destroyed much of the vines.
Climate
That, despite the exposed position (more than 51 ° north latitude), good wines are produced, the favorable climate in the Elbe Valley is due to. At times, dominant continental weather conditions in summer and autumn bring long sunny periods. The annual average temperature in the Elbe valley boiler is slightly above 9 ° C and the winter means rarely drops below zero degrees. The rainfall is between 600 mm and 700 mm. The sunshine duration is on average 1570 hours of sunshine. The altitude is 200 meters above sea level. The phenological spring onset is between 29 April and 5 May, by which vines can ripen early. Compared with the more western growing areas in Germany the beginning of spring is a little later, but the autumn months of September and October are also drier and warmer. The thermal sum, which is the sum of all daily mean temperatures in the growing season, is 62 degrees above the minimum value of 2900 degrees.
Due continent climatic effects of the Saxon wine-growing of harsh winters and frost damage is threatened on the vines. The vineyard is located in the northern area of influence of Böhm wind, have Fönwirkung of the Ore Mountains in the summer, but in winter you can also enter a lot of cold.
Size and varieties
With 462 hectares of vineyards, the vineyards of Saxony is one of the smallest contiguous vineyards in Germany. There are mainly white grape grown, including gold Riesling, a vine used only here and Pinot Blanc (52 ha), Traminer, Müller -Thurgau (81 ha), Elfling, Bacchus, Riesling (62 ha), Scheurebe, Kerner, Chasselas, Solaris and Pinot Gris ( Pinot Grigio ). Also worth mentioning is the production of sparkling wine, and small stocks of the red varieties Pinot Noir, Regent, Frühburgunder, Blue Portugal, thorn fields and dark fields.
Classification
The wine region is divided into two areas by Meissen ( Elbe ) and Elster. The layers of the wine region located in the district of Meißen, Saxon Switzerland & Eastern Ore Mountains in the district and in Dresden and Wittenberg district in Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg in the Elbe-Elster district.
Area Meissen
In the area of Meissen are the documents in the Free State of Saxony. These are grouped into four major layers.
The major site Meissner Spaargebirge located near Meissen itself Spaargebirge This is a small mountain range in the west of the Elbe valley boiler. For major site include the individual layers Proschwitz hop, Meissner Mountain Chapter, castle Proschwitz, Meissner Ratsweinberg, Rosengründchen Meissner, Meissner Klaus Berg and Monastery of the Holy Cross.
The major site Seußlitzer castle vineyard is located north and west of Meissen to Weinbohla and Diesbar- Seußlitz. The individual layers are the Seußlitzer Heinrichsburg, the Weinböhlaer Gellert Hill and the Gellert Hill Oberauer.
The major site Radebeuler Loessnitz located east of Meissen to Radebeul. It contains the documents Radebeuler Golden car, Radebeuler stone back and Radebeuler Johannisberg.
In Dresden and Freital are the locations of the major site of Dresden Elbe hillsides. The single vineyard vineyard in Pillnitz Pillnitz Royal and Wachwitz located at the Dresden Elbhängen, while the single layer Pesterwitzer Jochhöhschlößchen in Pest joke lies in the valley of the White Ritz. There are also the linkselbischen individual layers of the Meissner Highlands Merbitzer Bauer mountains at Merbitz and Cossebauder Bauer mountains at Cossebaude.
Area Elstertal
The Elstertal area further north on the Black Elster is Großlage free and has smaller individual layers Jessener Gorrenberg, Kleindröbener Katzenzehe and Schliebener Long Mountain. The area is located at Jessen ( Elster) and Schlieben in Saxony- Anhalt and Brandenburg.
Area free
The Ostritzer mountain monastery ( at Kloster St. Marienthal near Görlitz in the valley of the Lusatian Neisse ) is located outside a metropolitan location and is range -free. He is the most easterly vineyards in Germany. In Brandenburg there are other divisional, great for the system and individual situation -free vines.
Marketing
Much of the vineyards of the wine-growing area are managed by part-time growers who deliver their grapes to the Saxon wine cooperative Meissen. The approximately 1,800 cooperative wineries cultivate their small vineyards around half of the Saxon acreage. In addition, there is a state winery ( Saxon State Wackerbarth castle in Radebeul- Niederlößnitz ), an urban winery ( the former princely or royal estate Hoflößnitz in Radebeul- Oberlößnitz ) and about 15 private wineries, including the oldest private -Saxon estate, castle Proschwitz in zadel at Meissen. In 2010, there are no DLG Recommended winery, but a mention: " An upheaval experienced some farms after the turn, for example, the winery Vincenz Richter. " Even in numerous taverns and Besenwirtschaften the local wine is served.
For the revival of tourism, the Saxon Wine Route and the Saxon Wine Trail were established. Similar to the Saxon Switzerland or the sights around Moritzburg the vineyards of Dresden has a high value as a landmark in the immediate area. In Dresden, the vineyards of 2004, to the deprivation of the World Heritage title in 2009, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Dresden Elbe Valley, and in Radebeul the Historic Vineyard landscape Radebeul was established in its entirety under monument protection.
The winemaker choir from Meissen is committed to songs about wine and wine festivals sings on drinking and folk songs.
The Trail of the Saxon viticulture ( wine trail ) runs in Radebeul below the local, former winery Zechstein.