Aschaffenburg, Foto: DWI/Dieth

Franconia is known for the shape of their oval, big-bellied wine bottles called “Bochsbeutel” and their down-to-earth, clear wines. The vine-slopes span from river Main and Steigerwald via the Rhine-Main-area (Rhein-Main-Gebiet) in the west to Bamberg in the east. The area’s centre is Wuerzburg, with its famous location “on the rock”. With two kilometres length and 92 ha space, it is the biggest closed cliff in Germany. “On the rock” has excellent climatic conditions. The sunshine is reflected by the light-coloured soils. The rest of Franconia is dominated by a continental climate.

In the past, the Silvaner with low acid content accounted for the biggest part of the cultivable land. During the last decades, Franconian vintagers have been planting new varieties, especially Bacchus, Kerner and Mueller-Thurgau. Today, Silvaner is cultivated only on the fifth part of the cultivable land.

Over 95 per cent of Franconian vineyards are tillered with white vines. During the last years, some vintagers have been focusing on growing red vines.

Main vine varieties: Mueller-Thurgau (38%), Silvaner (21%), Bacchus (13%).