Winery Villa Kerz

Upwards towards pleasure

Not flat, not hilly, not very steep, but still at a good height: here the vines grow on a slope with a gradient of up to 35 percent. A high plateau at the gates of Mainz! The site was first mentioned in a document in 1629 with the name "auf der Höhe" (engl. On the height). Riesling and Pinot Blanc thrive in loess-loam clay soil, just as well as Pinot Noir and other new red wine varieties. Bodenheim is part of the RheinTerrassenWeg, a hiking trail parallel to the river Rhein. The Rheinhessen RheinRadweg, a bicycle trail, also passes not far from Bodenheim.

St. Alban and the delicious Silvaner

St. Alban's was one of the oldest and most important churches in Mainz, "a second Mainz Cathedral", states the Institute for Historical Regional Studies at the University of Mainz. The history of the church dates back to late Roman times. It was burnt down in 1552 and the monastery was closed in 1802. But some historical references - like in the naming of the site "Bodenheimer Mönchspfad" - remain. The St. Albans monastery owned land there. Today, a wide variety of grape varieties grow on fertile loess loam, including delicious Silvaner. Bodenheim is part of the RheinTerrassenWeg,a hiking trail parallel to the river Rhein.

• To the monastery encyclopedia Rhineland-Palatinate
• To the further single location of Bodenheim: Burgweg

The location was mentioned in 1401 under the name "under the leyden hedges". The name derives from the Middle German word lite and means hillside.

The location was mentioned in documents in 1297 as "westerheym" and in 1600 under the name "in westrum." The location designation retains the memory of the old farmstead of Westernheim.

In a metaphorical name, this is a good vineyard location. Only rarely is such a name based on the occurrence of shiny rocks such as galena.

In this situation springs a small spring. The determinative word in the layer name is based on a personal name.

Pinot Noir and a spelling mistake

It can sometimes be very amusing how names are established. For this vineyard, name very likely originates in a spelling mistake: In the first documented reference from 1364, the vineyard is called "Uf dem Burgwege" (engl. On the castle path). However, what might actually have been meant is “Bergwege" (mountain path); The writer changed the "e" to a "u". The slope of the "Bodenheimer Burgweg" hill has an impressive ten to 25 percent gradient and consists of glacial loess and sandy clay loam. The light, nutrient- and lime-rich soil is particularly suitable for the cultivation of Pinot Noir, but also Riesling, Silvaner and Scheurebe. Bodenheim is part of the RheinTerrassenWeg, a hiking trail parallel to the river Rhein. The people of Bodenheim like celebrating at the tower. The most important occasion there is the Sankt Albansfest, a wine festival in June.

• To the other single vineyard of Bodenheim: Mönchspfad
• Rheinhessen blog: Weinprobe am Weinlehrpfad