Location and history: The Cannstatter Zuckerle wine-growing region is known for the terraced steep slope vineyards. Steep-slope viticulture refers to the cultivation of vineyards on an extreme slope, i.e. a gradient of more than 20%. On these slopes the vines are grown in terraces made of sandstone dry stone walls. In the terraced vineyards, almost all of the work has to be done by hand, as tractors cannot be used.
Behind the power station in Stuttgart-Münster, the vineyards move closer to the banks of the Neckar, and the river valley becomes narrower. Whether the Romans saw the slopes on the Neckar and the prevailing climate as the best prerequisites for growing vines is controversial. But there is evidence that monks from the Lorch Monastery were already cultivating the slopes in the Middle Ages (the name Münster is probably derived from the Latin "monasterium" - the place is mentioned as being owned by the Lorch Monastery as early as 1193). Here on the steep slope, the typical vineyard houses are still preserved, as are the laboriously erected dry stone walls and staves, a remarkable cultural achievement that is still not sufficiently recognized.
The vineyards are mainly located along the Neckar between Stuttgart-Mühlhausen and Bad Cannstatt in the Canstatter Zuckerle area.
The south-west location of the Canstatter Zuckerle area on the Neckar enables optimal solar radiation and thanks to the nutrient-rich shell limestone soil, the location is one of the best in Württemberg.
The dry stone walls also serve to store heat so that the vines are protected from frost. These different influences create a Mediterranean microclimate in the Canstatter Zuckerle location.
Source: Wikipedia