Location and history
Wackernheim is a district of Ingelheim am Rhein in Rhineland-Palatinate. The place lies in a side valley of the Rhine between the Rabenkopf and the Mainzer Berg. The height difference within the settlement is more than 100 metres; at the same time, there is a view over the Rhine and the Rheingau.
Winegrowing
Wackernheim was first mentioned in 754 in a donation document connected to the Fulda monastery and was documented there as a winegrowing community. The wine-growing sites of the place are, within the wine-growing area structure of Rheinhessen, assigned to the Bingen area and the Kaiserpfalz region. These include the Rabenkopf, the Schwalben and the Steinberg.
Soils and wine character
The Rabenkopf lies on a hillside and has sand and Rigosol soils consisting of calcareous dust and sand deposited during the Ice Age. These soils are associated with warm, fruit-intensive wines, which mostly favour rather red than white wine styles and show a mild acidity as well as a dense structure.
Variety of sites
The Schwalben are characterised by deep, calcareous loess and pararendzina soils with high levels of water storage available to plants; from this, yellow-fruited, slender and refreshing wines with mild acidity and medium structure are described. The Steinberg includes loess and pararendzina soils as well as limestone and rendzina soils. The former are associated with slender, refreshing and fruit-focused wines, while the latter are associated with mineral, chalky wines with well-balanced acidity and potential for development. In the local vineyards, Riesling is the predominant grape variety.
