The Oldest Vineyard in the World

Luis Alberto Martínez-Verdugo

The oldest vineyard in the world that produces grapes is in Germany, as indicated by the Wines of Germany website. The Rhodter Rosengarten vineyard that continues to produce grapes with the original vines. It is said that the vineyard of the wine community of Rhodt unter Rietberg already existed before the 30 Years’ War that took place between 1618 and 1648. It is located in the Palatinate region of Germany.

There are 400 vines located in the 900 square meters of vineyard, most of them are Traminer grapes with occasional Silvaner vines in between.

Viticulture, however, has a long history in Rhodt as the Romans are said to have started viticulture in this area. In the Middle Ages the region was known for its Traminer wine. In 1603, Margrave Ernst Friedrich of Baden bought the entire village. He and his successors ruled until the year 1801. It was the margrave who transformed the village with its castle built in 1200 into a rich wine-growing community, setting up the wine trade. Consequently, proud mansions of the wine-producing families were erected and can still be seen today: almost 80% of the village are recorded historical sites, beautiful old houses with old arches.

The beauty of the region, nicknamed North Tuscany, did not go unnoticed by rulers and kings: King Ludwig I. of Bavaria had his summer palace built just above the village on a romantic hillside in 1846, the Villa Ludwigshöhe. The importance of viticulture for the village can be deduced from the local specialty: the wine is served not only in the traditional Palatinate glass « Schoppen », which contains half a litre of wine, but also in the « Rhodter Piff »: a glass of wine containing a whole litre of wine.

On the east side of the village, just across the street from Rietburg Wine Cooperative, however, Rosegarden, which is centuries old, vines give year after year 500 liters of wine flow from their grapes. The Gewurztraminer vinified by the Arthur Oberhofer estate in Edesheim, the owners of the vineyard, is of course a prized specialty. The wine seduces not only because of its age, but also because of its rose taste that is so typical of Gewurztraminer and that perfectly reflects the name of the vineyard site: « Rhodter Rosengarten ». Source: GermanWines