Hofkeller in Würzburg, One of the Oldest Wineries in the World

Appropriate under the Royal Residence, the Hofkeller in Würzburg (the Courtroom Cellar of the previous Prince Bishop, currently the Royal Bavarian Court docket Cellar) is a laby­rin­thine cellar masking 4,557 m². Bavaria’s beer has various types, and Bavarian occasions these as Oktoberfest make its beer world-well known. As a result, I am fascinated in being aware of why Würzburg, a large Bavarian city, has these types of an outstanding wine cellar operating for around 8 generations.

The cellar tour took position on the very last working day of our Franconia weekend excursion. For the reason that the cellar is below the Würzburg Residence, it is simple to incorporate with the pay a visit to to the grandiose castle. Amongst huge wine barrels and corridors dimly lit by candlelight, we have figured out exciting details about the stronghold of Franconian viticulture. The wine cellar stretches all over just one kilometre in winding corridors via the earth. If you visit the Franconian wine metropolis of Würzburg, you should not skip this labyrinth where by great wines mature.

A brief quick of Record

The achievements story of the Hofkellar started in 1128 when the Bishop of Würzburg Embricho donated a plot of land in Zell for the monastery construction. That was also the commencing of perform in the vineyard and in the cellar.

In 1540, Franconia generated the ideal wine of the previous centuries. In 1684 throughout the Swedish War, the Swedes crafted a new barrel to conserve wine from 1540. That barrel is now the oldest in the cellar. Virtually two centuries later on, in 1719, Prince Bishop Schönborn commissioned the design of the Würzburg Home and purchased an exceptional wine cellar to be incorporated in the designs.

One 12 months afterwards, the cellar design started. And considering that 1814, Würzburg has develop into portion of Bavaria. The Prince Bishop’s Hofkeller, afterwards the Royal Bavarian Hofkeller, and now the Bavarian Point out Winery (Staatlicher Hofkeller Würzburg), have usually been owned by the then present ruling energy.

Legendary wine 12 months 1540

Our tour guideline was a witty human being who shipped a dry perception of humour. Inside of 45 minutes, he narrated various concealed tales about the wine.

For the reason that of the greatest weather and other variables, the wine from 1540 was the best in the winery’s record. When the 30-calendar year Swedish War started out, Sweden built a barrel to preserve the rest of the wine from that yr. That barrel is nevertheless in the cellar.

Afterwards in 1814, the land of Würzburg belonged to Bavaria, and so did the winery. When Bavaria King Ludwig II acquired to know the previous barrel, he claimed the barrel was not safely and securely saved. Thus, he moved the wine to his home but offered the the vast majority of the wine in bottles secretly. King Ludwig II made use of the funds to finance his fairy tale castle close to Munich. Upon the King’s dying, the Bavaria federal government offered most of his home, which include the 1540 wine, to repay his credit card debt.

A Jewish wine trader Simon from Wiesbaden in Germany acquired all 1540 wine bottles. Throughout the Globe War, he escaped to London and opened a wine store to provide his wine collections. However, Hitler also bombed London, and so did his wine store. Following the war, his descendants cleared away the ruins and discovered some 1540 wine bottles intact inside a secure basement cellar.

Then, the family members invited ten environment-famed connoisseurs of wine to discover the origin of the wine. Nonetheless, the connoisseurs could only consume the first glass of wine. The relaxation wine acquired oxidized so swiftly that it tasted like vinegar. Owning determined the wine, the family resolved to send the rest two bottles back to Hofkellar in Würzburg.

Remarkably, Hofkellar did not think the bottles contained the wine from 1540. At the time, two hospitals, which operated two other wineries in Würzburg, opened just one bottle and verified the wine was from 1540 soon after tasting. The second bottle became the previous acknowledged and remaining whole bottle from this famous classic. One particular of the two hospitals is an elderly property these days and keeps the closing bottle in its basement. 

The huge wine barrier and the sponsored wine barrels

The barrels in the cellar can include up to 1200 litres of wine every single. Quite a few barrels in Hofkellar in Würzburg have sponsorship. The sponsors’ names, possibly firm names or private people, are printed on the barrels. Every single year, the Hofkellar in Würzburg invites the sponsors to taste the new wine.

At the finish of the cellar tour, our group passed a massive wine barrier. In the Center Ages, servants received paid out by wine, the liquid salary. At that time, people drank wine a lot more generally than in some cases contaminated h2o. Those courtroom servants who experienced a superior marriage with the wine learn could get the wine of fantastic top quality. For that reason, the cellar developed a 50000-litre large barrel and saved wines combined with several grades of high-quality. All servants bought the wine from the exact barrel.

Varieties of Wines from Hofkeller in Würzburg

For the reason that of the weather concern, wineries in the Würzburg area create mainly white wines. The quality of wines is categorized by the harvest quantity and the harvest locale of the grapes, the VDP-particular classifications. The Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) is a German business that promotes the country’s best wines and estates. In common, there are four sorts of wine: VDP. GROSSE LAGE, VDP.ERSTE LAGE, VDP.ORTSWEINE, and VDP.GUTSTEIN.

• VDP.GROSSE LAGE wine distinguishes the best excellent German vineyards and makes use of grape types normal for the region that matching the demands of that particular person winery. 
• VDP.ERSTE LAGE expresses the character of a vineyard. 
• VDP.ORTSWEINE wine is bottled from regional grape kinds. 
• VDP.GUTSWEIN wine is a unique signature of winegrowers. They are frequently the initially wines of a wine year to be bottled and bought. The wines mature in the winery’s vineyards. 

At the stop of the guided tour, we tasted the VDP. ERSTE LAGE. Owning stayed in Bamberg for a few days, I can say that the wines from Würzburg are the best Franconian food stuff pairing consume.

Travel Suggestions for Hofkeller in Würzburg

Be part of a tour

At the moment, personal person can only be part of a German-guided cellar tour. English guided tour is available for the groups. But you can join a Guided Strolling Tour with Franconian Wine to take a look at the previous town and the wine for a smaller funds. In the winery’s store, you can obtain all wines outlined earlier mentioned. 

How to get to Würzburg by teach

Würzburg is only about a person hour by educate from Frankfurt and is consequently a excellent day vacation vacation spot from Frankfurt. Information on the railway you can locate on www.bahn.com. It is an around 20-minute wander from the station to the Würzburg Residence.

How to get to Würzburg by vehicle

• From the A7 coming from Ulm – choose the Kitzingen exit and carry on on the B8 by way of Biebelried to Würzburg.  
• From the A7 coming from Kassel – acquire the Estenfeld exit and keep on on the B19 twin carriageway to Würzburg (ca. 7 km). 
• From the A3 coming from Nuremberg – consider the Rottendorf exit and carry on on the B8 to Würzburg. 
• From the A3 coming from Frankfurt – just take the Heidingsfeld exit.

In front of the Würzburg Home, the Residence car park (“Parkplatz Residenz”) 400 parking sites. 

Where by to keep in Würzburg

Many resorts are in the previous city, in walking length from the Würzburg Residence and Hofkeller and to the Marienberg Fortification.