Krautheimer Sonnenleite

The Krautheimer Sonnenleite between Krautheim and Obervolkach

Krautheimer Sonnenleite (also Volkacher Sonnenleite , incorrectly Sonnenberg ) is a vineyard in the Franconian region . It is located in the district of Volkacher hamlet Krautheim in the Lower Franconian district of Kitzingen .

Geographical location and geology

The Krautheimer Sonnenleite vineyard stretches in a long strip in the south of the Krautheim district along the Volkach tributary Weinbergsleitengraben, here called Weidach. The village of Krautheim is located in the north, while the district of Frankenwinheim begins immediately in the east . The vineyards of the Rimbacher Landsknecht extend to the south in the vicinity of the neighboring village. The former Muschelkalkbruch natural monument south-west of Krautheim adjoins the vineyards.

Today the site occupies an area of around 10 hectares and is part of the large Volkacher Kirchberg site in the Volkacher Mainschleife area . This makes it one of the smaller locations within the larger location. The Krautheimer Weinberg faces south and has a slope of 20 to 30%. The Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner grape varieties are grown there. The Krautheim wines grow on soils of the Upper Muschelkalks and in the so-called Lettenkeuper .

history

location

In the past, there was very little viticulture in Krautheim. The place name, on the other hand, refers to the cultivation of cereals, vegetables and herbs. Nevertheless, the Krautheimer had some vineyards in the Middle Ages . The Volkach Church of St. Bartholomew and St. Georg owned a third of the Krautheimer Weinzehnt . At the same time, the respective village lords also held several vineyards. In the 17th century, the Heidenfeld monastery held three ten-free vineyards on the so-called Höhnleinsberg.

Although viticulture did not play a major role in the village, staying in the vineyards was sanctioned in a village regulation from the 18th century. The people of Krautheim also did not trade in wine, but cultivated the mountains only for their own use. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Krautheimer wine was rated "mediocre". The general developments after the mediatization of the Grafschaft Castell , to which Krautheim had belonged, led to the rise of beer at the beginning of the 19th century.

Since 1830, the Krautheim wine area has been gradually reduced. The now fallow areas were planted with potatoes and fruit. In 1853, for example, only 3.8% of the agriculturally used area comprised vines. In 1887, Krautheim still exported 30 hectoliters of wine via the Volkacher market. The cultivation probably came to a complete standstill in the 20th century. It was not until the 1970s that viticulture was revived in the village. At that time only 2 hectares were planted with vines.

Origin of name

The name "Krautheimer Sonnenleite" goes back to the climatic conditions of the slope. In the past, corridors were given the ending -leite if they faced south and therefore had long exposure to sunlight . Originally the area was called "Weinbergsleite", the term "Sonnenleite" was probably established when the slopes were rebuilt in order to better market the wine.

Wineries (selection)

Several renowned wineries now have vineyards in the Krautheim district. The vineyard is cultivated only by external winegrowers.

Weinbau Reinhard Ebert, Rimbach
Martin Mößlein winery, Zeilitzheim

literature

Hans Bauer: District of Kitzingen. An art and culture guide . Market wide 1993.
Gerhard Egert: Krautheim in Franconia. 888–1988 (= Volkacher Hefte No. 8) . Krautheim 1988.
Barbara Holtz: The vineyard names in the Kitzingen district . In: Andreas Pampuch (Hrsg.): Nature and landscape of the district of Kitzingen II. Volume . Kitzingen 1981. pp. 124-160.
Franz Pfrang: The history of viticulture on the Main loop . In: Ute Feuerbach (Ed.): Our Main Loop. 1978-1992 . Volkach 2008. pp. 23-28.