Bad Durkheim is a small but important wine-producing town in the north of Germany's Pfalz wine region. Originally called Durkheim, the spa town was granted its Bad- affix in 1904, in recognition of its mineral springs (bad means 'bath').
©Georg Heinzelmann
Although planted with various grape varieties (both white and red), the vineyards here are best known for their ripe, complex Riesling wines. Riesling from this area (and throughout Pfalz) are among the most flavorful of all German Rieslings, thanks to the warm, dry climate. Although mostly dry or off-dry, Durkheimer Rieslings are produced in varying levels of sweetness, from trocken to trockenbeerenauslese (see German Wine Label Information).
The town of Bad Durkheim is located right at the heart of Pfalz's prime vineyard area; to the south lie the villages of Forst an der Weinstrasse and Deidesheim, arguably Pfalz's most important in terms of wine quality. Immediately to the north lies Ungstein, with its famous Herrenberg vineyard, which abuts Bad Durkheim's own, much-prized Michelsberg site.
Wine and tourism are key to Bad Durkheim's economy, most notably when the two are combined. Each September, more than 600,000 visitors flock to the town for its Wurstmarkt. Although its name means literally 'sausage market', the Wurstmarkt is in fact the world's largest wine festival, and one which dates back to the 12th century. It grew up around a popular pilgrimage route, which led to the chapel on top of the 'Monte Sancti Michaelis', the hill now known as Michaelsberg. The regular trail of pilgrims provided reliable trade opportunities, so the hill and its chapel soon became a gathering point for local farmers and winegrowers. Over time, the gatherings evolved into a festival known as the Michaelismarkt. Its modern name, a reflection of the popularity of sausages at the festival, came into being in the middle of the 19th Century.
There is still a chapel on the Michaelsberg hill today. The slopes below it constitute Bad Durkheim's only Grosse Lage vineyard site, the Michelsberg. At just 4.8 acres (1.9ha), the Michelsberg is tiny, but its terraced, sandstone-rich, south-facing slopes produce some of Pfalz's finest Riesling. From the top of the slopes, looking north-west, one can clearly see three of Bad Durkheim's other top vineyard sites: Rittergarten, Hochbenn and Steinberg. Looking south-east down onto the plain is the Nonnengarten, while due south, on the other side of the town itself, is the Fuchsmantel site, which spills over the parish boundary into neighboring Wachenheim.
