Franconia (wine region)

Franconia (German: Franken) is a region for quality wine in Germany situated in the north west of Bavaria in the district of Franconia, and is the only wine region in the federal state of Bavaria. In 2014, vines were grown on 6,176 hectares (15,260 acres) of land in the region.

The greatest part of the wine region is situated in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia around its capital Würzburg along the Main River. There are a few areas in Middle Franconia mainly in the Steigerwald and a very small part in the area of Upper Franconia around Bamberg. The bends of Main have been used to define the region's three districts, two of which take their names from their respective geometric shape.

The Mainviereck ("Main square") is the westernmost district of Franconia, on the lower slopes of the Spessart hills and is one of the warmest spots in Bavaria. The special soil is mainly red sand stone which is especially suitable for growing red wine. Franconian red wine plantings started to expand in the 1970s.

The Pinot noirs and the rare but high quality grape Frühburgunder are grown in high quality. The "Bürgstadter Centgrafenberg" and the "Schlossberg" in Klingenberg am Main are said to be the best vineyards. Some of the wines grown there won national and international wine trophies. The most important villages are Bürgstadt, Großheubach and Klingenberg am Main.

The main red wine areas of Franconia have been connected by the long-distance hiking trail Fränkischer Rotweinwanderweg (Franconian red wine foot path) since 1990.

The Maindreieck ("Main triangle") is the middle portion of Franconia. On the sometimes very steep hills alongside the Main river the soil mainly consists of Muschelkalk. Mainly Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau grapes are being grown. But as in many wine regions in Germany a wide variety of grapes is cultivated. Riesling, Bacchus, Pinot noir, Domina and Dornfelder are the most important grapes. Some wine journalists are saying that Franconia is the only place in the world where the Silvaner can be greater than the king of German wines, the Riesling.

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Wikipedia