Birkweiler is a wine-growing village in Pfalz, Germany. Although not one of the region's more celebrated villages, a handful of the Riesling wines made here are world-class, and Birkweiler's Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is also beginning to attract international attention. The classic Birkweiler wine is a ripe, flavorful Riesling with notes of pear and peach and a streak of minerality.
The village and its vineyards are located at the foot of the low-lying Haardt mountain range, in a particularly sunny, sheltered position between two shallow valleys. The climate is typical of Pfalz, significantly warmer and drier than surrounding regions thanks to the rain shadow cast by the hills just to the west. There is sufficient sunshine and warmth here to grow olives, almonds and chestnuts – crops more often associated with southern Europe. This fact is reflected in the names of Birkweiler's two Grosse Lage vineyards, Kastanienbusch and Mandelberg, which mean 'almond hill' and 'chestnut bush' respectively. The third crop mentioned there, olives, is honored in the Olberg site in Konigsbach, a village a little way to the north.
The Kastanienbusch vineyard holds a commanding position overlooking Birkweiler. At an altitude of 1000ft (300m) above sea level, it is one of Pfalz's higher wine estates. Because the site is situated higher up on the Haardt slopes, the geology here is distinct from that lower down. The soils on the site's upper half (known as Kastanienbusch Köppel) are characterized by a kind of red slate unique to this area. These south-east-facing slopes, which enjoy breathtaking views down the valley, produce some of the Pfalz's finest Riesling. The lower section of the vineyard has weathered sandstone with significant limestone deposits, and is planted almost exclusively to Spätburgunder.
The Mandelberg site lies to the south-west of Birkweiler. Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) flourishes in the soils here, which are rich in limestone formed from ancient marine fossils. Ample sunlight hours and the heat retention provided by stones in the vineyard ensure maturity for all wines grown here. There are other vineyards named Mandel-something, most notably Himmelsreich Mandelpfad in Dirmstein, Mandelberg in Kirrweiler and Mandelgarten in Gimmeldingen.
Immediately east of Birkweiler is the village of Siebeldingen and beyond that Godramstein.
