is a German hop-growing area centered around the small Franconian town of Spalt, roughly 30 km (18 mi) south of Nuremburg, in Bavaria. It is the home of the classic aroma hop Spalter. The cultivation of hops is documented in the area as early as 1341, and for the next 100 years—considered by many the golden age of hop-growing in the Nuremburg area—the Spalt region, as well as much of the countryside around Nuremburg, was a thriving hop-producing area. In 1538, Spalter hops were so prized that the district became the first to be awarded by the feudal powers of the time the privilege to a use a so-called hop seal. See hop seal. This seal was placed on packaged hops to authenticate that they were in fact genuine Spalter hops, and this allowed them to command a higher price. In later centuries the cultivation of hops in the greater Nuremburg area declined drastically, but the Spalt district always remained viable.

Although the classic Spalter variety is still a major hop grown in the region, Spalt Select has surpassed it in total acreage, and there is just about as much Hallertauer Mittelfrueh in the ground as Spalter. See hallertauer mittelfrueh (hop), spalter select (hop). In the hop trade, Hallertauer Mittelfrueh grown in Spalt is referred to as Spalter Hallertau to differentiate it from Hallertauer Hallertau. Small amounts of Hallertauer Tradition and Perle are also grown. See hallertauer tradition (hop), perle (hop). In most years, Spalt produces less than 2% of all German hops.