Winery Rösch-Spies

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. 

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 

Climb up and enjoy the view over the terraces

There's no mistake in the spelling here. The name is meant exactly as it is written: The Middle High German word "Steige", which means steep descent; is joined by the terraced terrain. The vines look towards the Rhine like visitors in a theatre. Behind the loess layer is limestone. The site is hot and dry. The wines are ripe and spicy. Close to the single vineyard: the Jewish cemetery, first mentioned in a document in 1736.

> To the other single vineyard sites of Guntersblum: Bornpfad, Himmelthal, and Kreuzkapelle.
> Information about the Jewish cemetery: https://www.kulturverein-guntersblum.de/joomla/index.php/geschichte/der-juedische-friedhof-in-guntersblum 
> Discover this single vineyard via Rheinterrassenweg, stage 4: 
https://www.rheinhessen.de/etappenvorschlaege/rheinterrassenweg-etappe-guntersblum-ludwigshoehe-dienheim-oppenheim
> In the photos you can see two red grape harvesting machines. The photos were taken in the fall of 2021.