Winery Espenhof

Of mountains, seas and grape varieties

There are more than 30 kilometres between the village of Flonheim - in the middle of Rheinhessen - and the town of Bingen directly by the river Rhein. There are two possible interpretations of where the name comes from: The name could refer to the ownership of the Bingen Spital in the 14th century. Or a geological explanation: the Binger Berg - as we call it today - was formed over 30 million years ago. At that time, large parts of Rheinhessen were flooded by the primeval sea and one of the surf reefs ran along the northern side of today's Flonheim. A wide variety of grape varieties grow here in the clay marl with up to 40%  lime content.

> To the further single vineyard of Flonheim: Rotenpfad.
> Discover the replica of the underwater world with shells, corals and oysters in the Flonheim local museum. https://blog.rheinhessen.de/geologie-top-5-in-rheinhessen/

Resting at the Trullo

There are two possible names here, but they are not mutually exclusive: The name of the single vineyard could come from the old German word "Rode" and mean "deserted". Deserted sites are abandoned settlements or farmland. Flonheim is known - apart from viticulture - for its sandstones, and the vineyard is located in the immediate vicinity of these sandstone quarries. The vines grow here mainly on loess, but also on Rotliegendem/Rigosol. Could the red soil pigments maybe be responsible for the name? The Adelberg rises in the middle of the single vineyard and is a popular hiking area. The trullo, a small vineyard house, is a great place to rest and enjoy the landscape.

> To the other single vineyard site of Flonheim: Binger Berg.
> Discover the "Trullo in flames" EXCELLENT WINE FEST https://www.wine-flow.de/trullo-in-flammen/
> The Trullo is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Rheinhessen.
https://blog.rheinhessen.de/10-schoensten-aussichten-wanderwegen-rheinhessen/
> Discover the single vineyard on foot via Hiwweltour Aulheimer Tal 
https://www.rheinhessen.de/hiwweltouren/hiwweltour-aulheimer-tal
> In the middle of the site there is also the Jewish Cemetery: https://www.rheinhessen.de/a-juedischer-friedhof

The only vineyard with a French name

Hard to believe, but true: This single vineyard is the only one with a French name. It was owned by the Huguenot family La Roche from Erbes-Büdesheim. The dialect spoken in Rheinhessen actually used many French words. In the center of the single vineyard: one of the most famous landmarks of Rheinhessen, the trullo at the Geistermühle. A small, whitewashed round building. There are two of them in Flonheim alone. They are unique for the Rheinhessen region. Rieslings and Pinot Noirs of great renown grow here on red clay and sandstone.

> Info about the Trulli: https://www.rheinhessen.de/rheinhessen-trullo

> French words in Rheinhessen: for example Määr (French maire) for mayor or Schåndarm (French gendarme) for policeman. See: http://post.gabsm.de/mundarten_in_rheinhessen.pdf

> Top 10 viewpoints on hiking trails: https://blog.rheinhessen.de/10-schoensten-aussichten-wanderwegen-rheinhessen/
> Uffhofen belongs to the municipality of Flonheim with very good tourist infrastructure: https://www.flonheim.de/tourismus-kultur/infothek-ortsmuseum.html

Bornheimer chicken 
Feathered fowl? No, living hedge! 

Juicy corn-fed chicken with Pinot Gris or rather Mediterranean-spiced, grilled chicken drumsticks with Pinot Noir? The Burgundy varieties like to grow on loess and volcanic rock in the single vineyard "Bornheimer Hähnchen". But no, the proud fowl is not the eponym here. The Old High German "hagan" denoted a demarcated area of land. And where is the wall then? This demarcation did not have to consist of stones, but could also be enclosed with a living hedge. The Bornheimer Kuckucksturm, a Hiwwelrast, is located in the middle of the single site. 

> Tapping at the Hiwwelrast Kuckucksturm: https://hiwwelrast-kuckucksturm.de/ 
> Compare other vineyards with animal names: Wöllsteiner Äffchen or Gau-Weinheimer Geyersberg. 
> By the way: There is also the village Hahnheim near Mainz.

The naming is based on ownership of church property.