Winery Domhof

Boy's name? Toad migration? Rieslings of world fame!

A vineyard of world fame! As the name "Thal" (old German word for valley) suggests, this single vineyard site begins in the valley, directly by the river Rhein, and then climbs steeply up the "Roter Hang". This single vineyard site is the steepest section on "Roter Hang" - very valuable and extremely sought after by winegrowers. The cadastral name has existed since 1753. Where does the name come from? There are several interpretations. The most common variant would be the boy or family name Peter. It could also be derived from Pater, meaning monk. The vineyards were owned by the church for a long time. Or - as they say in Nierstein: "Petten" refers to toads that migrate to the springs and sump holes that emerge above. An indication of this is that an adjacent area is called "Stumpe Loch", which is probably derived from Sumpfloch. Whether ordinary boy's name or ordinary toad: the Rieslings, on the other hand, are not ordinary at all. They are mineral, expressive and capable of ageing. They grow on bare red clay sandstone and get plenty of sun all day long.

> Discover the single vineyard site by bike: https://www.rheinhessen.de/amiche-radweg
> More information about the vineyards of the "Roter Hang": https://roter-hang.de/roter-hang/weinlagen/

The single vineyard on the Guntersblumer Kellerweg (cellar oath of Guntersblum)

“Born” is a common term when it comes to names of vineyards, streets and wineries. It comes from the Middle High German word "burn(e)" and means well (or source of water). The single vineyard "Guntersblumer Bornpfad" is based on a path that leads to a spring and located on the well-known Kellerweg. Cellar after cellar line up there; the winegrowers used to press their grapes here. Today, once a year, the lane is transformed into the Kellerweg Festival. The vineyards stretch up the hill behind the village, all the way to the hilltop. Guntersblum belongs to the Rhine terrace. Deep loess soils form the basis for numerous grape varieties.

> Info about the Guntersblum cellar path and cellar path festival: https://kellerweg-fest-guntersblum.de/ 
> To the other single vineyard sites of Guntersblum: Himmelthal, Kreuzkapelle and Steig-Terrassen 

The layer designation is based on a former cross chapel.

High, higher, heavenly in Guntersblum

The term Himmel - also common in naming - indicates good cultivated land or high altitude sites. The Guntersblum single vineyard Himmelthal actually is located bit higher, closer to the sun and thus perfect for grapes of higher ripeness. A wide variety of grape varieties thrive on fertile loess soil, such as Pinot Gris or red varieties like Pinot Madeleine, Piot Meunier and Dornfelder. The Protestant parish church there also is heavenly. Not one, but two towers rise up to the sky. This church is one of the rare so called “Heidentürme” (engl. pagan towers), built around 1102 after the 1st Crusade to the Holy Land. 

> To the other single sites of Guntersblum: Bornpfad, Kreuzkapelle and Steig-Terrassen 
> Information about the Heidenturm Guntersblum: https://www.regionalgeschichte.net/bibliothek/aufsaetze/kotzur-heidentuerme-rheinhessen.html#c68805 
> To the blog entry about the Heidentürme in Rheinhessen: https://blog.rheinhessen.de/orient-rheinhessen-heidenturmkirchen/ 
> On the photo at the hedge the attentive viewer sees a red device. This is used for starling defense. With a loud bang the birds are driven away. 

Limestone and Pinot vines for the monk’s vineyard

The "Niersteiner Paterberg" stretches from Nierstein in the direction of Oppenheim almost until Dexheim in gentle sweeps. Loess and limestone dominate the subsoil here. The old quarry, which was photographed here from above, is clearly visible. This single vineyard is no longer part of "Roter Hang". Various grape varieties grow here, many Pinot varieties, also Pinot Noir. The wines from this vineyard are filigree. The term "Pater" is a synonym for monk. The name thus goes back to the property of a monk's monastery. On the edge of the single vineyard stands the "Trutzburg". A somewhat unusual and funny building that is also used by the regional radio amateurs.