TERROIR PROFILE
Boppard & Spay
Bopparder Hamm
Boppard: the ripest Riesling of the Mittelrhein from the Hamm south slope.
Climate, site & wine
Slate and greywacke heat up strongly in the unbroken south-facing position. Riesling here is riper and spicier than further upriver but keeps the typical Middle Rhine acidity.
Since the 1980s Spätburgunder has also gained importance; Rivaner (Müller-Thurgau) is grown alongside. The Hamm covers about 75 hectares and is farmed by eleven full-time growers; land consolidation in 1966 and 1985 merged over 2,000 small parcels.
TERROIR PROFILE · Mittelrhein
Boppard & Spay Bopparder Hamm
Boppard: the ripest Riesling of the Mittelrhein from the Hamm south slope.
SOILS
Slatemineral, smoky
Slate stores heat and releases it at night — wines show wet stone, smoke and a delicate structure.
CLIMATE · Cool continental
The Bopparder Hamm lies in the Rhine's largest bend; the Hunsrück shields it from moist west winds. The Rhine acts as a heat store and the slate soil reflects sunlight.
TOPOGRAPHY · steep
A continuous south-facing slope with gradients above 80 percent, worked largely by hand; eight individual sites, including Feuerlay and Mandelstein, share the hillside.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Bourgogne · Côte de Nuits
Burgundy
94% similar
- Sun (slightly): Boppard & Spay gets more sun → deeper colour, riper tannin (7 vs. 6).
- Freshness (slightly): Boppard & Spay has more freshness → crisp acidity, long ageing (8 vs. 7).
Rüdesheim/Lorch
Rheingau
94% similar
- Warmth (slightly): Boppard & Spay is cooler → tauter fruit, leaner wines, more acidity (5 vs. 6).
- Dryness (slightly): Boppard & Spay is wetter → juicier, softer, more plushness (5 vs. 6).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 24 →This terroir's soils in the glossary