The Winery Steffen Schabehorn of Sachsen

Discovering the wine region of Sachsen

Sachsen (Saxony) in eastern Germany is one of the world's Northernmost wine regions, located at a latitude of 51 degrees north. The roughly 493 hectares (1,218ac) of vines in the region are planted aLong a 25 mile (40km) stretch of the Elbe river valley, from Pillnitz near the city of Dresden, in a north-easterly direction to Diesbar-Seusslitz, just downstream of the city of Meissen. Despite its northerly location, Sachsen has a long history of viticulture, with the earliest documents of wine-growing around Meissen dating to 1161. Since Germany's reunification in 1990, great enthusiasm has gone into building and developing the Sachsen wine industry; there are many part-time growers and an enthusiastic local market.

Investment is needed to boost quality however, and with yields roughly half that of other German wine regions, investors' enthusiasm has not matched that of the growers. Sachsen's Climate is cold-moderate continental with an annual mean temperature of 10° celsius (50°F). The average temperature in January is -0. 5° celsius (31°F) and in July it is 18° celsius (64°F).

However, winter temperatures can drop as low as -28° celsius (18°F). Sachsen's wines are also influenced by the soils and geology of the Elbe Valley. Carboniferous granite, and feldspar with some mica and quartz are found, as is sandstone. This is often is overlayered by loess, clay and sand deposits.