St. Antony - winegrower in Rheinhessen (2024)

Niersteiner Pettenthal

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/

Niersteiner Hipping

Tool, hill, goat? Nowadays a premium vineyard

The name of the vineyard is documented in a deed from 1753, as the vineyard property of various Nierstein vineyards. The origin of the name has not been definitively clarified. It could have come from Middle High German and once meant "hügell" (hill). Or it goes back to "Hippe", which means tool - or another version - goat. Did bleating goats once jump over the hill here? Who knows. Today, no goats bleat there any more - and the winegrowers have nothing to complain about either. This single vineyard site is of special value. World-class Rieslings thrive on the special red claystone called Rotliegenden. The "Alexander-von-Humboldt-Blick" is a viewing point located in the middle of the single vineyard site. In 1790, the naturalists Georg Forster and Alexander von Humboldt travelled by carriage from Mainz to Nierstein and reported on the red rock and the noble wine.

> Hike and audio to the Hipping station: https://roter-hang.de/weinerlebnis/hipping/
> Info about the Alexander-von-Humboldt view: https://rhein-selz-tourismus.de/rhein-selz-entdecken/die-entdeckung-des-tages/alexander-von-humboldt-blick.html
> Discover the single vineyard by bike: https://www.rheinhessen.de/amiche-radweg

Niersteiner Paterberg

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.

Niersteiner Brudersberg (Brother’s mountain of Nierstein)

Whether physical or spiritual brother - cheers to the Riesling!

Different interpretations are circulating here: Is the name of the vineyard based on the property of a monastery? Or does it go back to the four brothers of the Haxthäuser Hof, who shared the site from 1804 to 1835? Perhaps both are true? The Brudersberg is quite easy for everyone to locate: It bears the official inscription "Roter Hang" in white letters. Above the lettering, surrounded by a few trees: a lookout point with benches and a waving flag. In 2012, the view from Nierstein's Brudersberg was voted the "Most Beautiful Wine View" in Rheinhessen. A stele decorates the place. There is a fantastic panorama to the east - from Ried in Hessen all the way to Frankfurt and on to Taunus with Großer Feldberg. In the direction of the southeast from the bend in the river Rhein near Oppenheim to Odenwald with the Melibokus. The hiking trail Rheinterrassenweg leads directly past here. The only 1.3 hectare site planted with Riesling is cultivated by the St. Anthony winery.

> Info on the "Most Beautiful Wine View 2012": https://www.rheinhessen.de/a-brudersberg
> To the other vineyards in Nierstein on the Rote Hang, for example Glöck, Hipping or Orbel
> Info on the Nierstein hiking trails, for example the Rhine Terrace Route: https://www.nierstein.de/wein-tourismus-kultur/weinfreunde-wanderer/
> Wine events, winemakers and more: https://roter-hang.de/
> Rheinhessen blog: https://blog.rheinhessen.de/herbstwandern-bei-nierstein-weinberge-mit-aussicht/

Niersteiner Zehnmorgen

10 acres, almost 3 hectares, many limestone rocks

Good morning? No. “morgen” does not refer to start of the day, but to the unit "acre". Ten acres are about 2.5 hectares. In fact, that is roughly the area of the single vineyard, which is where its name comes from. On top of loess, in the subsoil of the Zehnmorgen lie large limestone rocks and heavy clay - unusual for Roter Hang, which is characterised by Rotliegend. The single vineyard site is like a small plateau, a stage. Surrounded by an old vineyard wall. The Riesling vines are over 50 years old and are solely owned by the St. Anthony winery.

> More information about the vineyards of the "Rote Hang": https://roter-hang.de/roter-hang/weinlagen/

Niersteiner Orbel

Not a swear word, but full-bodied praise

The single vineyard is located at the southern end of "Roter Hang" in a side valley towards Schwabsburg. The name Orbel was mentioned in the community chronicles as early as 1386. "Ölbel" is a dialect word borrowed from the dialect of the locals. An "Ölbel" is a broad, strong, four-bearded man who appears uncouth. A swear word! In relation to the wine, however, it is not a negative association: the wines here are full-bodied, juicy and rich. Riesling or Silvaner grow on loess and red-lying soil that is fissured like slate gravel. Not far from the site: the Schwabsburg castle tower.

> Audio to the hiking trail, station Orbel: https://roter-hang.de/weinerlebnis/orbel/
> To the suitable hike above the single vineyard: https://www.outdooractive.com/de/route/wanderung/rheinhessen/von-nierstein-zur-niersteiner-warte-und-zur-schwabsburg/33918115/#dmdtab=oax-tab3
> Discover the single vineyard by bike: https://www.rheinhessen.de/amiche-radweg

Niersteiner Ölberg (Oil mountain of Nierstein)

Biblical reference, oil mill or oily Rieslings?

Is the single vineyard named “Ölberg” because an oil mill once stood here? Or did the Ölberg get its name because of the oily consistency of the wines produced here? Does the site maybe have biblical references, named after a monastery? Anything is possible. The single vineyard is part of the "Roter Hang" but turns away from the river Rhein and faces south-southeast, situated above Nierstein. Partly very steep with a gradient of up to 60 percent. Like it is tpical for Roter Hang, the soil here is Rotliegendes, the iron oxide-containing, and landscape-defining red shining clay slate. The dominant grape variety is Riesling. In the middle of the vineyard: the Wartturm, a Nierstein landmark. Once a medieval signal tower from the 12th century.

> Discover the single vineyard by bike: https://www.rheinhessen.de/amiche-radweg

> Info about the Nierstein Wartturm: https://www.rheinhessen.de/a-wartturm-von-nierstein
> Wine events, winemakers and more: https://roter-hang.de/