Common single vineyard designation in Germany, with the name referring to former church property.
The south to south-east facing vineyards with a 5% slope cover 45 hectares of vines. The fine earthy soils consist of sandy loam interspersed with loess. Riesling is the main grape grown here. The Braun Fritz and Studier wineries, for example, have shares in the site.
It is said that during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), the Spanish general Frangipani had his soldiers salute the vineyard out of respect for the site. In the royal Bavarian vineyard classification in 1828, the vineyard formerly also known as "Kirchenbuckel" was the only vineyard to be classified in the highest possible category. Its international reputation was underscored in 1893 when the English Wine Society named the wines "Kings among Rieslings". These were to be found at many royal and princely tables, for example at the Russian Tsar's court.
![]()
As honorary chairman of the Domäne Wachau, it is the easiest and quickest way for me to access the wein.plus encyclopaedia when I have questions. The certainty of receiving well-founded and up-to-date information here makes it an indispensable guide.
Hans-Georg Schwarz
Ehrenobmann der Domäne Wachau (Wachau)