Praelatenberg is a named vineyard of the Alsace Grand Cru appellation, meaning that Praelatenberg may be used as part of the appellation title on wine labels. It is located in the commune of Kintzheim in Alsace, and is the most southerly of the Grand Cru sites in the Bas-Rhin sub-region.
(© CIVA)
Like Gloeckelberg, just a few miles to the south, Praelatenberg is situated in an area where the granite bedrock underpinning all Alsace vineyards region is particularly close to the surface. Here, large rounded fingers of granite protrude out from the lower Vosges mountains, unweathered by the glaciation which has shaped most other parts of the region. On the apex of one of these, directly above Praelatenberg, stands the imposing form of the Haut-Koenigsberg fortress, built in the 12th century to defend the plains below from invasion.
The Praelatenberg slopes face east-south-east, rising steeply from 820 to 1150ft (250–350m) between the villages of Kintzheim and Orschwiller. They cover nearly 47 acres (19ha) of heavy soils covered with loose schist; it is rich in quartz and iron as well as other valuable minerals which contribute to the terroir of the site.
The climate throughout Alsace is of continental type with particularly low rainfall – a result of the rain shadow cast by the Vosges. The mountains also provide protection from the prevailing westerly winds, making the Alsatian summer one of the driest and warmest in the northern half of France. At the other end of the temperature scale, the winters here are cold; it is not uncommon to see Alsace vineyards lined with snow.
Apart from a few notable exceptions, all Alsace Grand Cru wines are varietals and may be made from Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris or Muscat. Praelatenberg is planted with each of these major varieties.
