Schweigen (Schweigen-Rechtenbach in full) is the southernmost wine-growing village in Pfalz. Located right on the German-French border, the village and its vineyards look over into those of Wissembourg, Alsace. Schweigen's most prized vineyard, the Sonnenberg, actually crosses the border, creating the unusual situation that a handful of Germany's top wines are technically grown in France. To balance the situation out, the relationship works both ways: some wine from the Sonnenberg site is used to make 'French' Cremant d’Alsace.
The key grape varieties grown in and around Schweigen show how close the village is to Alsace. Rather than specializing in Riesling and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) like many Pfalz villages, the vineyards here also grow Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Gewurztraminer, Silvaner and Muscat. These are precisely the seven grape varieties around which Alsace's wine industry revolves.
Without a doubt, Schweigen's most respected vineyard is the Sonnenberg, the 'sun hill'. The Pinot Noir from this site is remarkably powerful and is the style of Pinot Noir that is steadily attracting attention from Pinot-philes the world over. Tasting notes often refer to rich, velvety wines whose cherry-like aromas are backed up by darker aromas of coffee, smoke and chocolate. Pinot Gris from the site is equally exuberant, with ripe aromas of peardrops, guava and (when aged in oak) toasted hazelnuts.
The typical Sonnenberger Riesling balances power with acidity (reflecting the site's limestone soils and high sunshine levels) and combines aromas of stone fruit, citrus zest and baked apples. This is typical of the Pfalz, a region whose warm, dry climate can produce Rieslings much richer and riper than those found in cooler, wetter regions such as Mosel and Nahe.
Schweigener Sonnenberg can be further broken down into three distinct sites, all of which are located on the French side of the border. These are Kammerberg, Sankt Paul and Radling.
Kammerberg faces south and overlooks the northern edge of Wissembourg right below it. The marl- and clay-rich soils here sit on top of pure limestone, a terroir which contributes to the liveliness and ageing potential of Kammerberg Spätburgunder wines.
Just across a shallow gully from Kammerberg is Radling, a steeper site whose south-east-facing slopes rise from roughly 650ft (200m) to almost 1000ft (300m). The pinot- wines produced from this site show particularly strong balance of power and acidity. Radling's key producer is the Bernhardt winery.
Wine-growing and tourism are the mainstays of Schweigen's economy, not least because the village marks the traditional start of the Deutsche Weinstrasse, Germany's official wine route. The Weinstrasse was created in 1935, as a way of attracting trade to Pfalz and its wine villages. The bumper harvest of 1934 had provided the enviable challenge of selling more wine than in normal vintages, and a second large harvest was forecast for 1935. After a successful first year, the Deutsches Weintor (German Wine Gate) was erected in Schweigen in 1936, constructed from sandstone taken from the Haardt Mountains, which play such an important role in Pfalz's warm, dry climate. Today, the wine route continues to faithfully generate income for vintners and villages alike, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
