Wines from the Franken region
Franken lies some 65 km east of the river Rhine in Bavaria , with most of its vineyards planted on the hilly slopes lining the river Main and its tributaries. Würzburg is home of the famed vineyard Stein, which gave rise to the generic term Steinwein, formerly used to denote all Franken wines.
There are three areas or Beriech in the Franken Region and they follow the course of the river, the Maindreieck (main rectangle) and the Mainviereck (main triangle) are named after the shape of the river, the other area is the Steigerwald, from Zeil on the upper Main to the Aischgrund of Middle Franconia
These wines are fuller-bodied, are less aromatic, often drier, firmer and earthier. Franconian wines are generally the most masculine of Germany 's wines. Part of Franken wines' singular personality is due to the climate: cold winters, high annual rainfall, early frosts long, warm autumns are rare, which means that the late-ripening Riesling plays a minor role. Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner and new crossings, such as Bacchus and Kerner, are the most important white varieties. Red wine grapes thrive in the western portion of the region between Aschaffenburg and Miltenberg. The finest Franken wines are traditionally bottled in a Bocksbeutel, a squat green or brown flagon with a round body (which looks like a mateus rose bottle), which lends considerable recognition value to the region's wines. The first wine growers on the Main River came from the Carolingian tribe. In the late Middle Ages Franconia was besides Württemberg the largest German wine land with approx. 45.000 hectares vine area. The coarse types of vines and the very acid-content spicy and herbal wines at that time probably wouldn't have passed today's quality requirements. An excerpt of the list of contents: Honey, saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, wormwood, liquorice, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, mint, juniper, resin, sage, etc.
These additions were prohibited in 1901 by the first German wine law.
In the Thirty Years' War the cultivation area dwindled to a fifth. But therefore the quality of the vines decisively increased due to the restriction to the warmest locations.
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In 2001 the region of Franken which has 6,041 ha under vine produced 499.881 hectolitres of grape must which gives a yield of 84, 6 hectolitres per hectares this was split into 1, 0 % table wine 61, 6 % QbA wine and 37, and 4 QmP wines.
Geographical location:
East of Frankfurt on the south facing slopes lining the river Main and its tributaries.
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Climate:
Continental, with warm, dry summers and cold winters.
From West to East increasingly more continental climate with strong winters, little precipitation and hot summers. High danger of late frosts.
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Geology:
Weathered, primitive rock and coloured sandstone in the Spessart Hills north of Miltenberg. Shell-limestone predominates in the central district, while heavier gypsum and keuper soils are found further east, near the Steiger Forest . In Franconia are many barren stony soils of muschelkalk, gneiss, granite, or mica schist. But there are also sands, loess soils and keuper. The easy to warm up and stony soils often provide the wine with a distinctive "Bodengfährtle", i.e. a taste component that is influenced by the soil.
The geological main-formations of the vineyard-grounds in Franconia are mussel-lime into the Main-valley about Würzburg , Gipskeuper at the Steigerwald, colourful-sandstone at the Main about Miltenberg, as well as flight-sands at the Volkacher Main-bow.
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Vineyard area
Major town(s): Würzburg. Three areas are defined:
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Main Rectangle, from Wertheim to below Aschaffenburg . In this landscape of new red sandstone develop also powerful red wines of blue late burgundy and blue Portugieser. |
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Main Triangle, from Schweinfurt to Homburg. Famous Sylvaners and Rieslings develop on the muschelkalk slopes of this area. Würzburg, Escherndorf, Sommerach, Randersacker, and Volkach are the centres of wine-growing. |
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Steigerwald, from Zeil on the upper Main river to the Aischgrund of Middle Franconia. Dominating keuper soils of marl and plaster. Here grow fine Riesling and Sylvaner wines, as well as good wines of Müller-Thurgau and Scheurebe. Famous wine places are Iphofen, Rödelsee and Castell on the Schwanberg. |
Grape varieties [white 89.0% : · red 11.0%]
52 grapevine shave proven for Franconia altogether
Müller-Thurgau 43.4%
[Silvaner] of 20.5%
[Bacchus] of 11.1%
[Kerner] of 6.1%
[Riesling] of 4.1%
Blue [Spätburgunder] of 2.7%
6.041 ha· 4 Bereich · 24 collective vineyard sites · 218 individual sites
(See below)
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Specified region Franken
(a) Sub-regions:
Bereich Bayerischer
Bodensee
Bereich Maindreieck
Homburg am Main (village no grosslagen)
Edelfrau
Kallmuth
Lengfurt (village no grosslagen)
Alter Berg
Oberrot
Erienbach (village no grosslagen)
Krähenschnabel
Marktheienfeld (village no grosslagen)
Kreuzfeld
Remlingen (village no grosslagen)
Krähenschnabel
Sonnenhain
Uettingen (village no grosslagen)
Kirchberg
GROSSLAGEN Burg
Saaleck (village)
Schloßberg
Hammelburg (village)
Heroldsberg
Trautlestal
Feuerthal (village)
Altenberg
Kreuz
Westheim (village)
Altenberg
Langberg
Fuchsstadt (village)
Rubenhöll
Trimberg (village)
Schloßberg
Engelthal (village)
Schloßberg
Machtilshausen (village)
Sommerleite
Sulzthal (village)
Schlangenberg
Ramsthal (village)
St Klausen
Wirmsthal (village)
Scheinberg
Gemünden (village no grosslagen)
Scherenberg
Adelsberg (village no grosslagen)
Gemünden
Wernleite
Wiesenfeld (village no grosslagen)
Herbstthal
GROSSLAGEN Rosstal
Gössenheim (village)
Homberg
Karlstadt Orsteil Karlburg (village)
Gambach (village)
Kalbenstein
Mühlbach (village)
Fronberg
Laudenbach (village)
Schloß
Eußenheim (village)
First
Stetten (village)
Stein
Arnstein (village)
Bischofsberg
Karlstadt (village)
Im Stein
Himmelstadt (village)
Kelter
Retzstadt (village)
Langenberg
GROSSLAGEN Ravensburg
Retzsadt (village)
Benediktusberg
Zellingen (village)
Sonnleite
Thüngersheim (village)
Johannisberg
Scharlachberg
Güntersleben (village)
Sommerstuhl
Eriabrunn (village)
Weinsteig
Leinach Orsteil Oberleinach (village)
Weinsteig
Himmelberg
Leinach Orsteil Unterleinach (village)
Himmelberg
Veitshöchheim (village)
Sonnenschein
Wölflein
Margetshöchheim (village)
Bärental
Rimpar (village no grosslagen)
kobersberg
GROSSLAGEN Marienberg
Würzburg (village)
Abtsleite
Innere Leiste
Pfaffenberg
Schloßberg
Stein
Stein / Harfe
Würzburg Orsteil Heldingsfeld (village)
Kirchberg
GROSSLAGEN Ewig Leben
Randersacker (village)
Lämmerberg
Marsberg
Pfülben
Sonnenstuhl
Teufelskeller
Theilheim (village)
Altenberg
GROSSLAGEN Teufelstor
Randersacker (village)
Dabug
Lindelbach (village)
Dabug
Eibelstadt (village)
Kapellenberg
Mönchsleite
GROSSLAGEN Ölspiel
Eibelstadt (village)
Steinbach
Sommerhausen (village)
Steinbach
Reifenstein
Winterhausen (village)
Kaiser Wilhelm
GROSSLAGEN Markgraf Babenberg
Frickenhausen (village)
Fisher
Kapellenberg
Rottendorf (village no grosslagen)
Kehlberg
Kleinochsenfurt (village no grosslagen)
Herrenberg
Böttigheim (village no grosslagen)
Wurmberg
Tauberrettersheim (village no grosslagen)
Königin
Röttingen (village no grosslagen)
Feuerstein
Aub (village no grosslagen)
Lämmerberg
Tauberzell (village no grosslagen)
Hasennestle
Kitzingen Orsteil Eherieder Mühle (village no grosslagen)
Eherieder Berg
GROSSLAGEN Hofrat
Segnitz (village)
Zobelsberg
Pfaffensteig
Obernbreit (village)
Kanzel
Markbreit (village)
Sonnenberg
Marksteft (village)
Sonnenberg
Sulzfeld (village)
Cyriakusberg
Maustal
Kitzingen (village)
Eselberg
Wilhelmsberg
Kitzingen Orsteil Eherieder Mühle (village )
Kaiser Karl
Reppendorf (village)
Kaiser Karl
Buchbrunn (village)
Heißer Stein
Mainstockheim (village)
Hofstück
Albertshofen (village)
Herrgottsweg
GROSSLAGEN Honigberg
Dettelbach (village)
Berg-Rondell
Sonnenleite
Dettelbach Orsteil Bruck und Schnepfenbach (village)
Sonnenleite
Dettelbach Orsteil Bibergau (village)
Unnamed sites
GROSSLAGEN Kirchberg
Neuses am Berg (village)
Glatzen
Neusetz (village)
Fürstenberg
Escherndorf (village)
Fürstenberg
Berg
Lump
Köhler (village)
Fürstenberg
Untereisenheim (village)
Berg
Sonnenberg
Sommerach (village)
Katzenkopf
Rosenburg
Hallburg (village)
Rosenburg
Kreuzberg
Nordheim (village)
Kreuzberg
Vögelein
Volkach (village)
Ratsherr
Volkach Orsteil Rimbach (village)
Landsknecht
Astheim (village)
Karthäuser
Obervolkach (village)
Landsknecht
Zeilitzheim (village)
Heiligenberg
Frankenwinheim (village)
Rosenberg
Krautheim (village)
Sonnenleite
Gaibach (village)
Kappellenberg
Stammheim (village)
Eselsberg
Obereisenheim (village)
Höll
Theilheim (village)
Mainleite
Waigolshausen
Waigolshausen orsteil Hergolshausen (village)
Mainleite
Wipfeld (village)
Zehntgraf
Schwanfeld (village)
Mühlberg
Lindach (village)
Kreuzpfad
GROSSLAGEN Engelsburg
Sommerach (village)
Katzenkopf
Rosenberg
Bergtheim (village no grosslagen)
Harfespeil
Hallburg (village no grosslagen)
Schloßberg
Gaisbach (village no grosslagen)
Schloßpark
Vogelsburg (village no grosslagen)
Pforte
Schweinfurt (village no grosslagen)
Peterstirn
Mainliste
Mainberg (village no grosslagen)
Schloßberg
Prichsenstadt (village no grosslagen)
Krone
Gerolzhofen (village no grosslagen)
Arlesgarten
GROSSLAGEN Zabelstein
Gerolzhofen (village)
Köhler
Sulzheim Orsteil Mönchstockheim (village)
Köhler
Mönchberg
Dingolshausen (village)
Köhler
Dingolshausen Orsteil Bischwind (village)
Köhler
Donnersdorf (village)
Falkenberg
Altmannsdorf (village)
Sonnenwinkel
Michelau (village)
Vollburg
GROSSLAGEN Steige
Oberschwarzach (village)
Herrenberg
Wiebelsberg (village)
Dachs
Handthal (village)
Stollberg
Kammerforst (village)
Teufel
GROSSLAGEN Kapellenberg
Oberschwappach (village)
Sommertal
Zell am Main (village)
Pfarrerspflöckn
Schmachtenberg (village)
Eulengrund
Ziegelanger (village)
Ölschnabel
Steinbach (village)
Nonnenberg
Sand am Main (village)
Kronberg
Sand am Main (village no grosslagen)
Himmelbühl
Zell am Ebersberg (village no grosslagen )
Schloßberg
Zell am Main (village no grosslagen)
Mönchshang
Krum (village no grosslagen)
Himmelreich
Prappach (village no grosslagen)
Henneberg
Unfinden (village no grosslagen)
Kinnleitenberg
Eltmann (village no grosslagen)
Schloßleite
Unterhaid (village no grosslagen)
Röthla
Staffelbach (village no grosslagen)
Spitzelberg
Weiher (village no grosslagen)
Weinberge
Bamberg (village no grosslagen)
Alter Graben
Bereich Mainviereck
GROSSLAGEN Reuschberg
Hörstein (village)
Abtsberg
Wasserlos (village no grosslagen)
Luhmännchen
Schloßberg
Michelbach (village no grosslagen)
Aloisengarten
Apostelgarten
Steinberg
Ascaffenburg (village no grosslagen)
Godelsberg
Pompejaner
Obernau (village no grosslagen)
Sanderberg
Rottenburg (village no grosslagen)
Gräfenstein
GROSSLAGEN Heiligenthal
Großostheim (village)
Harstell
Reischklingeberg
Gtoßwallstadt (village no grosslagen )
Lützeltalerberg
Rück (village no grosslagen)
Jesuitenberg
Johannisberg
Schalk
Erienbach Am Maim (village no grosslagen)
Hochberg
Klingenburg Am Maim (village no grosslagen)
Einsiedel
Schloßberg
Großheubach (village no grosslagen)
Bischofsberg
Engelsberg (village no grosslagen)
Klostergarten
Miltenberg (village no grosslagen)
Steingrübler
Bürgstadt (village no grosslagen)
Centgrafenberg
Mainhölle
Eichenbühl (village no grosslagen)
Hoher Berg
Dorfprozelten (village no grosslagen)
Predigtstuhl
Kreuzwethheim (village no grosslagen)
Kaffelstein
Bereich Steigerwald
GROSSLAGEN Schild
Abtswind (village)
Altenberg
Greuth (village)
Bastel
Kirchschönbach (village)
Mariengarten
GROSSLAGEN Herrenberg
Castell (village)
Bausch
Feuerbach
Hohnart
Kirschberg
Kugelspeil
Reitsteig
Schloßberg
Trautberg
Neundorf (village)
Hüßberg
Mönchsbuck
Sonneberg
Wonne
GROSSLAGEN Schlossberg
Kleinlangheim (village)
Wutschenberg
Wiesenbronn (village)
Geißberg
Wachhügel
Großlangheim (village)
Kiliansberg
Schwanleite
Rödelsee (village)
Küchenmeister
Schwanleite
Sickershausen (village)
Storchenbrünnle
GROSSLAGEN Burgweg
Iphofen (village)
Julius-Echter-Berg
Kalb
Kronsberg
Iphofen Orsteil Possenheim (village)
Vogelsang
Markt Einersheim (village)
Vogelsang
Stüblein
Willanzheim (village)
Unnamed sites
Martinsheim (village no grosslagen)
Langenstein
Tiefenstockheim (village no grosslagen)
Stiefel
Iphofen (village no grosslagen)
Domherr
GROSSLAGEN Frankenberger Schlosstück
Hüttenheim (village)
Tannenberg
Seinsheim (village)
Hohenbühl
Bullenheim (village)
Paradies
Ippesheim (village)
Herrschaftsberg
Ingolstadt (village)
Rotenberg
Krassolzheim (village)
Pfaffenberg
Ergersheim (village)
Altenberg
Bad Windsheim Orsteil Wiebelsheim (village)
Altenberg
Weigenheim (village)
Hohenlandsberg
Weigenheim Orsteil Reusch (village)
Hohenlandsberg
Ulsenheim (village)
Hüttenberg
Markt Nordheim (village)
Hohenkottenheim
Bad Windsheim Orsteil Oberntief (village)
Rosenberg
GROSSLAGEN Ipsheimer Burgberg
Ipsheim (village)
Berg Hoheneck
Ipsheim Orsteil Kaubenheim (village)
Berg Hoheneck
Dietersheim Orsteil Walddachsbach (village)
Berg Hoheneck
Dietersheim Orsteil Dottenheim (village)
Unnamed sites
Weimersheim (village)
Roter Berg