Ungstein is a small village at the northern end of Germany's Pfalz wine region, located 13 miles (21km) south-west of Worms and immediately north of Bad Durkheim. Its vineyards are effectively contiguous with those of Kallstadt, its immediate northern neighbor. Ungstein is best known for the Riesling wines produced from its Herrenberg and Weilberg vineyards. These are often full-bodied yet refreshingly crisp, with mouth-watering aromatics of white blossom, mandarin and grapefruit zest and an underlying minerality. In addition to the Rieslings that have made its name, Ungstein also produces some good examples of Scheurebe.
Ungstein marks the northern end of Pfalz's prime vineyard area, in which it is joined by its southern neighbors Bad Durkheim, Forst an der Weinstrasse, Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg. As evidenced by numerous archaeological finds, winemaking in this area dates back to Roman times, between roughly 100 B.C. and 400 A.D.
Just to the west of Ungstein, the Haardt Mountains rise up to roughly 1650ft (500m), providing the area with protection from cold westerly winds and casting a rain shadow which keeps the area warmer and drier than it would otherwise be. It is this which explains the relative richness of Rieslings from Ungstein (and all over Pfalz) when compared to those from the cooler, less-sheltered Mosel and Nahe valleys.
Ungstein's Herrenberg vineyard is regarded as one of the best in Pfalz. This is quite fitting, given its name, which means 'the lord's hill'. From its east-facing slope, the Herrenberg overlooks Ungstein's south-western corner and makes the most of the morning sunshine to ripen its Rieslings to bright citrus-rich ripeness. The site is further subdivided into three sub-sections, each with its own name and subtly distinctive wine style.
The highest section of Herrenberg is the Kanzel, so called because of its lofty location and the high walls that shelter its exposed extremities (kanzel means 'pulpit'). Unlike in much of the Pfalz, where red sandstone is the dominant soil type, the key ones here are limestone and loess. This translates into a certain mineral, chalky freshness in Herrenberg Kanzel Rieslings.
The section of Herrenberg called Vogelsang is known for producing rich pinot-family wines from its deep limestone-clay soils. Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder) in particular performs well here and gives a rich, rounded style, making up for what it lacks in acidity with rich, mouth-filling florality. Vogelsang Herrenberg is one of Ungstein's several vineyard sites designated as a Grosse Lage by the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikats und Qualitatsweingüter – the Association of German Prädikats and Quality Wine Estates). The name Vogelsang translates literally as 'birdsong' and is said to indicate the cuckoo calls heard here.
The Mardelskopf constitutes the final third of the Herrenberg site and is characterized by its weather-mitigating hedges and high limestone content.
