Winery Russbach

World famous and rich in stone

A bog (German: Moor) in Rheinhessen? Certainly not. The site was first mentioned in a document in 1282 with the name "in loco marstein" in a deed of donation to the Cistercian monastery of Otterberg (Pfalz) and can be interpreted as a "marker stone". In other words, it is a boundary stone or a landmark. It is indeed stony here: one stone found during clearing weighed up to 3.2 tons. In the upper soil layer, there are clay marl soils with limestone inclusions, and massive limestone rock underneath. Mineral Rieslings and Pinot Noirs bring world fame to the Westhofen winemakers. There are also plenty of vineyard cottages here, like the “Wingertshäusje Kommandozentrale".

> From Wingertshäuschen to Wingertshäuschen: https://www.rheinhessen.de/wingertsheisje-wanderweg
> To the other single vineyard sites of Westhofen: Aulerde, Brunnenhäuschen, Kirchspiel and Steingrube

Fire and flame for great wines

The single vineyard site "Flomborner Feuerberg" with its south-south-west orientation is indeed very sunny. The soil, consisting of sandy loam and above all limestone, stores heat very well. Therefore the name of the single vineyard does not come as a surprise. At night, however, everything cools down, as the vineyard has an altitude of 250 metres. Different varieties thrive here, such as Riesling, Pinot and Silvaner. Incidentally, the name of the village "Flomborn" does not come from the word "Flamme". It comes from a family name. Several churches, monasteries, convents and aristocrats had estates here. Among them was a "Rudewin von Flamburn", whose name appears in a document as early as 1208.

> More about the regional history of Flomborn https://www.regionalgeschichte.net/rheinhessen/flomborn.html

Where Dinotherium once dwelt - limestone for Pinot vines

As the name suggests, the soil here is not light and airy. No sand, no loess, but heavy, stony soils. The single vineyard "Eppelsheimer Felsen" is a limestone marl site. The soils are the result of limestone weathering, also known as "terra fusca" or "terra rossa". From the Latin "terra" for land or earth. "Fuscus" stands for brown, "rossa" refers to the reddish colouring caused by iron oxide. In this vineyard, the winegrowers cultivate a wide variety of vines, often Pinots. Eppelsheim is famous for its geological finds: first and foremost the skull of a dinotherium, a 3.50-metre-long beast of terror from the Miocene era, which was recovered in 1835. 

> Discover the Dinotherium Museum Eppelsheim: https://blog.rheinhessen.de/geologie-top-5-in-rheinhessen/
> Discover the single site via Mühlenrad-Weg: https://www.rheinhessen.de/radrouten-rheinhessen/muehlen-radweg