Deidesheim Tour

Wine Country

After a fine German dinner in the restaurant, a relative (native to the town) took us on a little walkabout, and to a wine distributor for a tasting session, that, of course ended with some cartons full of bottles leaving with us. The wines from here never disappoint. 

Notes about Deidesheim: first mention of it in AD 699. It was founded on a Roman road. It was granted the right of fortification in the 1300ˋs and had walls up to recent times. A couple of segments and towers remain. It is in that part of Germany that was constantly fought over between the Germans and French, and was for a time under French rule in the early 1800‘s. It has a very long history of wine growing, cultivating 485 hectares currently (a bit less than a thousand acres). 

A painting in the restaurant. A runaway carriage horse. 

Deidesheim’s main square. Note the palms have come out of winter protection. The area is quite mild for its latitude, and the soils and sun are ideal, making conditions right for vineyards. 

The wine distribution center, for all the vineyards.

Fig trees are a common sight here. They are usually grown next to a house wall or one of the stone walls around the vineyards, where heat is stored in the rock mass. They do produce fruit, some kinds more than others. This one is being trained to grow against the wall. 

The heart wood of the pruned fig tree. 

A map of the vineyards on the hillside outside the city. The names are old, and many have been in the same family for generations. Our relatives’ family plot is on the right. 

This is a vintner family historic home

An Easter tree in someone’s yard. 

This is not a wonderful photo, but it shows the character and form and uniformity of materials in the architecture. 

Goodbye, Deidesheim, until Wine Festival at the end of summer.