Wine town
When talking about the Town of Wittlich as a commercial and trade centre, you cannot fail to mention viniculture. The flowering of our town is also based on viniculture.The first mention of vineyards in Wittlich in legal documents dates back into the year 1065. However, finds of working tools from the Roman period let us assume that wine was already grown here much earlier.
That Wittlich wines are a speciality among Moselle wines is documented by many records. Thus the Seneschal's Office in Berlin ordered 1 tun (approx. 1200 bottles) of the 1857 “Pichter”. This alone was not, of course, extraordinary but the rest of this wine was sold to Alexandria.
In 1922 a tun of “Wittlicher Portnersberg Auslese 1921” was sold at an auction at a price of RM189,000. The standard wines at this auction in general achieved prices of under RM 100,000.
The former Federal President Walter Scheel served his guests wine from Wittlich during a large New Year's reception. Even during a visit to Germany by King Juan Carlos from Spain the King was served wine from Wittlich.
Viniculture in Wittlich is favoured by the favourable microclimate in the Wittlicher Senke (low ground). For this reason what is said about the State of Rhineland-Palatinate takes full effect here. Land of tobacco and vines. Both are cultivated in the Wittlicher Senke.
Excellent wines flourish on the heat-storing shale grounds of our south-facing slopes in the following vineyard locations:
- Wittlicher Klosterberg
- Wittlicher Portnersberg
- Wittlicher Felsentreppchen
- Wittlicher Bottchen
- Wittlicher Lay
At present the following grape varieties are cultivated:
- Riesling
- Blauer Spätburgunder
- Kerner
- Weissburgunder
- Müller-Thurgau (Rivaner)
The Wittlich vineyards give proof with great success of the quality of their wines and wine growers' sparkling wines at the State and Federal wine award ceremonies every year.
Wittlich wines and sparkling wines are incomparable in their type. They are characterised by a fine savoury acidity coupled with a strong taste. Thanks to their balanced acidity they stay fresh and storable for a long time.
Among the vineyards from Wittlich you will find an extensive offer of dry, semi-dry and mild wines as well as excellent vintager sparkling wines.
Today wine from Wittlich is exported throughout the world. For example to Belgium, Holland, the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Japan and Scandinavia.