Deidesheim is a small, highly prestigious wine-growing village in Germany's Pfalz wine region. It is best known for its Riesling, which is by far the dominant variety here. As is the case throughout Pfalz, the style of Riesling made here is fuller-bodied and richer than most other German Riesling, thanks to the region's relatively warm, dry climate. Most Deidesheimer Rieslings are trocken (dry), but a select few are lusciously sweet trockenbeerenauslese.
Situated just a few miles north of Neustadt town, Deidesheim lies right at the heart of Pfalz's top vineyard area. The village is home to more Grosse Lage vineyard sites than any other in the region, and is rivaled in this regard only by its northern neighbors Forst and Ungstein.
The village and its vineyards sit at the foot of the Haardt mountain range, giving them a much-prized easterly aspect and sheltered position. This, combined with the rain shadow cast by the peaks above, makes for a warmer, brighter and drier climate than is found even just a few miles away. The benefits of this favorable climate are visible (and edible) in the local fields and orchards, which grow figs, citrus fruit and almonds (in late spring, roads all around Deidesheim are speckled pink with almond blossom). Naturally, vines also grow well here, particularly Riesling, which accounts for the vast majority of quality wine produced here. Other varieties which are represented in the village's better wines are Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder), Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder) and Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder).
Wine tourism plays a significant role in Deidesheim's culture and economy. The Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Route) passes through the town, attracting many thousands of tourists throughout the year. August is particularly busy in the local wine calendar, not just because of the upcoming harvest, but because of the annual Deidesheimer Weinkerwe (Deidesheim Wine Fair). This event is attended by around 100,000 visitors, making it one of Germany's largest traditional wine festivals. More impressive still is September's Wurstmarkt wine fair, held in nearby Bad Durkheim; attended by more than half a million people, it is the largest wine festival in Germany, and possibly the world.
An important figure in Deidesheim's wine history is Andreas Jordan, who moved here in the 19th century and established what was to become one of Pfalz's most important wine estates. Jordan was a wine pioneer both in quality and style; he was the first to distinguish his wine range based on the combination of site, grape variety and vintage, and also introduced the spätlese style to Pfalz. As a result of his efforts, Deidesheim’s fame, and Jordan's own fortune, escalated significantly along with his land holdings. Upon his death in 1848, the large estate was split into three, all of which remain among the most influential wine sites in Pfalz: Bassermann-Jordan, von Buhl and Dr Deinhard.
Six vineyards in this area have been classified as 'Grosse Lage' by the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikats und Qualitatsweingüter – the Association of German Prädikats and Quality Wine Estates). These are Kalkofen, Grainhübel, Kieselberg, Langenmorgen, Hohenmorgen and Paradiesgarten.
Kalkofen lies immediately north of the village center, and is so called because it was once the site of a large lime kiln (kalk ofen). The five-acre (2-ha) site lies on a gentle south-facing slope and is marked at its northern edge by sandstone walls. Sandstone plays a key role in both the local terroir and the local architecture. The soils here are a mix of limestone, sandstone and marly clay. Immediately next to it is Grainhübel, whose weathered sandstone soils (grien in Old High German) earned it its name. This same grien soil is also found in the lower sections of the neighboring Kieselberg site, but is replaced further up by coarse sand and pebbles; Kieselberg means 'pebble mountain'. Between these two sites is the tiny two-acre (0.8-ha) Hohenmorgen, with its reddish sandstone soils intermingled with patches of clay and loam.
To the west of the village, on the gentle slopes that lead right up to the edge of the Pfälzerwald forest, sit the Langenmorgen and Paradiesgarten sites. These east-facing vineyards enjoy the full effect of the morning sunshine and are well named: Langenmorgen translates literally as 'long morning' and Paradiesgarten as 'paradise garden'. Immediately south of these two sites are the vineyards of Ruppertsberg.
