History and Prehistory

16.5 million years ago

The area has a settlement tradition dating back to prehistory, as archaeological finds attest. It is a rift valley where agriculture is practiced on the plain, and wine is grown on the sometimes very steep slopes and terraced fields. Since the area enjoys a very favorable climate — hot, dry, and very fertile — it was already settled in prehistoric times. 16.5 million years ago, a tropical primordial sea covered this area. Fine, light-yellow sand was deposited in layers many meters thick; this sand was compressed so intensely by the enormous weight of the water that the indigenous people were able to construct underground cellars 12–14 meters below the surface — without supporting or reinforcing them, and without using bricks or stones. At that time, these underground tunnels served as a refuge for people and animals during times of war.

17th and 18th Centuries

It was not until the 17th and 18th centuries that the wine cellars in the large and small Kellertrift-Gasse were dug above these deep hiding places. These wine cellars — with a constant temperature of approximately +10°C in both summer and winter — offer the best conditions for aging wine. Air conditioning, cooling, heating, dehumidifiers, humidifiers — none of these are needed. No energy is required, thus preserving nature.