Location and climate
Kenzingen is located in the northern Breisgau, in the Upper Rhine Plain and on the foothill zone of the Black Forest, near the Alte Elz. The Bombach district lies to the east of the town; its valley opens to the west towards the Rhine plain, while the Black Forest foothills rise in the east.
The Breisgau is considered a sunny and mild wine-growing region with around 750 to 1,100 millimetres of rainfall per year. Kenzingen belongs to the wine-growing region Baden, which is assigned to EU winegrowing zone B.
Vineyard sites and soils
The vineyards around Bombach include the sites Sommerhalde and Hummelberg. The Bombacher Sommerhalde is characterised by loess and limestone soils.
The Rote Berg near Kenzingen features iron-bearing red soils with shell-bearing limestone and red, calcareous sandstone over calcareous marl with a high clay content. In the Breisgau, Burgundy grape varieties are also grown on marl, Buntsandstein, shell-bearing limestone, loess and weathered gneiss.
Grape varieties and wine style
The most important grape varieties for a Kenzingen producer include Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; Weißburgunder and other varieties are also cultivated. Since 2018, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones selected in Burgundy have been planted there. For the local wine-growing in Bombach, Burgundy varieties and Gewürztraminer are also used.
A documented Pinot Noir from the Bombacher Sommerhalde is made as a dry Badischer Landwein. Fermentation takes place with natural yeasts, and then the wine matures on the bottle for several months.
Historical context
Kenzingen is documented in the Lorscher Codex for the year 773 and was granted town rights in 1249 by Rudolf II of Üsenberg. From 1415 onwards, the town was a Free Imperial City and, in the early 19th century, became part of the Grand Duchy of Baden. Bombach remained an independent municipality until the administrative reform of 1971 and was then incorporated into Kenzingen.
