Location and municipality
Spiesheim is a wine-growing municipality in Rheinhessen and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde Wörrstadt. The municipal area covers about 750 hectares and shows a difference in elevation of more than 100 metres.
Osterberg vineyard site
The Spiesheimer Osterberg vineyard site extends over 201 hectares within the municipal area. It lies at an elevation of about 170 to 235 metres and is oriented from the south-west to the south-east. The name has been documented since the 12th century as a designation for an eastern location.
Soils and wines
In the Osterberg, marl and pararendzina soils occur from calcareous loams and sands, as well as limestone and rendzina soils. The deposits go back to the Tertiary sea and a calcareous algal reef. On the marl and pararendzina soils, full-bodied, robust wines with balanced acidity are described; on the limestone and rendzina soils, expressive, lively and aromatic wines are produced with mineral, chalky characteristics.
History and wine law
Spiesheim was first mentioned in a document in the year 770, when a plot of land with a farmstead and a vineyard was transferred to the Lorsch Abbey. The Spiesheimer Osterberg is classified as a single vineyard site in the area of Nierstein and within the Grosslage (major vineyard site) Petersberg in the Qualitätsweinbaugebiet (quality wine-growing region) Rheinhessen. Spiesheim also lies in the protected designation of origin area of Rheinhessen.
