The Vinum Weinguide Deutschland is a leading German wine guide. The Vinum Weinguide Deutschland 2026 was released recently, presenting Vinum's choice of Germany’s best 1,000 wine producers and reviewing more than 13,500 wines on 1,080 pages.
5 out of 5 stars („world class“) were awarded to 27 estates.
Top Winemakers in Franken
In the Franken region, there are 2 producers in the 5/5-star group of the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2026,and 4 producers in the 4.5/5-star group.
Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, and I have met 4 of the 8 listed producers at various occasions over the past years, often at their estate during a Germany wine tour by ombiasy WineTours, which is owned and run by Annette Schiller and based in Washington DC, USA.
Franken
(London Wine Competition)
Franconia, located in the north west of the German federal state of
Bavaria, is one of the 13 German wine-growing regions. It is the only
official wine region in Bavaria and is mostly located around the capital
Würzburg along the Main River in Lower Franconia.
Winemaking in Franconia dates back nearly 1,000 years, and there is a
record of the great emperor Charlemagne mentioning the wines of
Franconia. This wine region, which extends from Bamberg to
Aschaffenburg, is known for its relatively mild climate. Officially, the
climate is continental with a Mediterranean influence. Winters can be
cold, so most grapes are grown along the hills of the River Main, where
they can be protected.
The most popular grape varietals in Franconia include Müller-Thurgau
(27.7%), Silvaner (23.1%), Bacchus (11.9%), Domina (5.5%) and Riesling
(5.3%). Of these grape varietals, Domina is the only red grape varietal.
Franconian wines can differ greatly in how long they can be kept. The
most basic wines, designed to be consumed within a year or two, are
known as Kabinett. However, some of the full-bodied, dry Spatlesen
(“late harvest”) wines can mature up to 10 years.
There are several unique characteristics of Franconia wines that may
be unfamiliar even to European wine drinkers. One is the term “Franconia
dry,” which is a classification unique to the wines of Franconia, which
have a lower sugar level than traditional trocken (“dry”) wines.
Another is the unique bottle shape known as Bocksbeutel (rounded and
then flattened), which is also unique to the best wines of Franconia.
Given the long history of winemaking in Franconia, it’s perhaps no surprise that wine plays an important role in popular culture. In addition to the traditional Oktoberfest, for example, Franconia celebrates a Weinfest, where participants drink wine instead of beer.
Visiting Franken Producers
Rudolf Fürst/ 5 Stars
Pictures: Paul Fürst, Annette Schiller, Sebastian Fürst and Christian Schiller at Weingut Rudolf Fürst. See: Tasting and Tour with the Pinot Noir Legend Paul Fürst, Weingut Rudolf Fürst in Bürgstadt, Franken – Germany-East Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Pictures: Winemaker Dinner with Sebastian Fürst, Weingut Fürst, Franken, at Schaumahl, Offenbach/ Frankfurt, 16 Points Gault Millau, Germany
Pictures: Dinner with Sebastian Fürst and Julian Huber. See: Winemaker Dinner with Chef/ King of Spices Ingo Holland
and Sebastian Fürst (Weingut Rudolf Fürst, Franken), Julian Huber
(Weingut Bernhard Huber, Baden) and Jérôme Legras (Champagne
Legras & Haas)
Pictures: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting (from Barrel and from Bottle) at Weingut Rudolf Fürst, Franken, with Sebastian Fürst - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Zehnthof Luckert - 5 Stars
Rudolf May/ 4.5 Stars
Pictures: Walk in the Vineyard, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Rudolf May (VDP) in Retzstadt, Franken, with Rudolf and Benedikt May - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy
Am Stein/ 4.5 Stars
Pictures: Wine Pairing Dinner at 1 Michelin Star Restaurant Reisers am Stein and Tasting and Tour at Weingut am Stein Ludwig Knoll, with Winemaker Franziska Schömig - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Overview: Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours led by Annette Schiller - Facebook Day-by-day Postings
Summary: Loire 2024 - Châteaux and Wine - by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller
Summary: Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours
Summary: From Lyon to Paris - Total Immersion in Burgundy and Champagne 2023 by ombiasy WineTours (July 02 - 13, 2023)
Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023
Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List
2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA
Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France
Kékfrankos - Blaufränkisch - Lemberger: A Grape’s Immigration Story From Central Europe To The US West Coast - Seminar at the 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA led by Annette Schiller
schiller-wine Blog of Christian Schiller Top Washington DC Alcohol Blog (December, 2024)
2024 Annual Meeting of the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, a 45 Years Old Wine Brotherhood in the Famous Wine Village Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany, with Annette Schiller, Founding Member, and Christian Schiller
Masterclass - The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference March 2024
The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Shifting from the Sugar Level at Harvest to the Wine's Geographic Origin
Dinner at JAN in Munich, Germany, with Jan Hartwig, one of the ten German 3-star Michelin Chefs (September 2024)
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