Niersteiner Glöck is a wall-enclosed vineyard (a '' Clos'', using French terminology) in Nierstein in Rheinhessen, Germany.Rheinhessen Wine
accessed on 21 October 2018 .The oldest vineyard site of Germany
accessed on 21 October 2018. According to a legend it is the oldest named vineyard site in Germany. Glöck is one of handful single vineyard sites in Germany which for reasons of historical significance have dispensation from having to include a village name together with the vineyard's name, so the wines from the Glöck vineyard site are simply labelled ''Glöck''. Since 1925, the vineyard belongsFrank Schmidt-Wyk, ''Doppeltes Glück von der Niersteiner „Glöck“'' in the local Allgemeine Zeitung retrieved 21 October 2018. exclusively to the ''Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Oppenheim'' (State Domain Oppenheim Winery), which is owned by the government of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and is part of the ''Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum Rheinhessen-Nahe-Hunsrück'' (Service Centre Rural Zone Rheinhessen-Nahe-Hunsrück). The vineyard is currently planted with Riesling and

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

vines.

Wines

The Niersteiner Glöck is classified as a " Großes Gewächs Rheinhessen" vineyard by the

Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter e.V. or the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates, is an association of more than 200 wineries in Germany that promotes binding quality standards and – since 1990 – also ecological management o ...

(VDP). Due to its small size the entire vineyard is homogeneous in quality. It is situated at height of 90 - 130 meter above the sea level.Dieter Braatz, Ulrich Sautter, Ingo Swoboda,

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

, ''Wine Atlas of Germany'' the best vineyards in Rheinhessen, University of California Press 2014; pp. 123/C5, 128. Retrieved on 21 October 2018. The slope gradient of 20% and the microclimate resulting from the protection of a centuries old stone wall which completely surrounds the vineyard, allow for the production of high quality grapes. The resulting wines are characterised by a balance of fruit, floral, and mineral notes. Geologically, the vineyard is situated on the Rotliegend formation with a light sandy

loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...

layer.

History and name

The name Glöck is documented by a deed of donation from the year 742, which makes it the oldest single vineyard in Germany to be known continuously under the same name. At the time of the donation Carloman, the eldest son of Charles Martel, ''

majordomo A majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a large ...

'' or mayor of the palace and duke of the Franks, brother of King

Pepin the Short the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of ...

, donated the Marienkirche (Our Ladies Church, later Kilians church) in Nierstein, including the vineyard, to the

diocese of Würzburg In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. As a result, the farmers of the vineyard had to pay the tithe to the prince-bishop in Würzburg. This tithe consisted of fruit and wine. Since then the site has been continuously under vine. The wall encircling the vineyard was completed in 1761. The vineyard is presumed to take its name from the church and its bells, but it is unclear whether the name is derived from the ringing of the bell or because the church bell ringer was paid with the wine from the vineyard. The name, however, indicates the special relationship between the vineyard and the church. The adjacent Kilianskirche is still surrounded by the vineyards of this site.

References

External links

{{portal bar, Wine Vineyards of Germany Mainz-Bingen