2012 Bönnigheim Sonnenberg Spätburgunder dry ****, Württemberg, Germany
The wine-growing region is located in the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The vineyards cover 11,461 hectares of vines, stretching between Lake Con stance and the valley of the Tauber below Rothenburg (Taubergrund). The geographical and climatic conditions are shaped by many river valleys. On its very winding course, the tributaries Rems, Enz, Kocher and Jagst flow to the Neckar. On the riverbanks are many south-facing slopes with widely spaced vineyards. In summer there is enough sun to give red wines strength and colour. Two thirds of the vineyards are steep slopes or hillside sites. Heilbronn is the wine capital of...
Germany, or rather the area that is now part of it, has a wine culture that is over two thousand years old. But even before that, imported wine was drunk, as evidenced by a Greek clay wine bottle from around 400 BC found in a Celtic grave. The oldest vineyards were on the banks of the Rhine, Neckar and Moselle. These rivers with their long valleys, as well as their tributaries, are still the classic wine-growing areas today. Viticulture was founded by the colonisation of Gaul by the Greeks and then brought to perfection by Roman culture. The conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) brought Roman viticulture from the Rhône valley to the...
