Siebeldingen is a small wine-growing village in western Germany's Pfalz wine region. Although not ranked among Pfalz's most prestigious villages (e.g. Forst and Deidesheim), it commands a certain respect through the quality of the ripe, citrus-scented Riesling produced from its Ganz Horn in Sonnenschein vineyard site.
Although Siebeldingen is surrounded by vineyards that produce vast quantities of wine each year, only a tiny proportion of them attract much critical acclaim. The village's finest wines are unquestionably those made from grapes grown at Sonnenschein, its prestigious, Grosse Lage-rated estate. The slopes on this aptly named site (sonnenschein means 'sunshine') enjoy a sunny, westerly aspect, which brings the berries here to higher levels of ripeness than almost anywhere else in Pfalz.
Almost all of Pfalz's other top-rated vineyards face east or south-east, towards the morning sun, but Sonnenschein stands out because it receives direct sunshine right into the late afternoon. The reason for this is that, due west of the site, the Haardt hills fall away temporarily into the Queich river valley, removing the threat of shadows that would plunge Sonnenschein into early shade.
Sonnenschein's soils are a mix of gravels and clay, with noticeable sandstone deposits from the Haardt range. The vineyard is on land that is just a million years old, relatively young by geological standards.
Right opposite the Sonnenschein site is the German government's Bundesanstalt für Züchtungsforschung an Kulturpflanzen grapevine breeding institute, which conducts viticultural research on topics ranging from pest resistance to new grape crossings. It is also involved in the GMO (genetically modified organism) approval process, with the mandate of preventing the introduction of harmful organisms.
Vineyards named for their sunny aspect are not unusual in Germany, one of the world's very coolest wine-producing countries. Direct sunshine is all-important; without it, very few vineyards could get their grapes anywhere near full ripeness. Another notable Sonnen-named vineyard, the Schweigener Sonnenberg, lies just 12 miles (20km) south of Siebeldingen in Schweigen.
