Best Vineyard Views Detail

Head up through the Schlossberg, Reitsteig, and Kirchberg wineries to the Best Vineyard View in Franken for 2012. The view from up here sweeps over the slope on which Germany’s first Silvaner grape grew in 1569. On the right-hand side is the present-day chestnut hill, formerly an outer bailey, as well as the roots of the former Gerichtslinde or “court linden tree,” estimated to be around 400 years old. On the far right, the staircase of the upper castle soars out of the forest. The view continues to pan over Castell, the vineyards on the slopes of the Steigerwald, and the landscape extending to the Main River and Rhön Mountains. Along the way, there are lots of interesting facts to learn about the grapevine varieties and soils around the Schlossberg, and how the unique microclimate shapes the wines’ character. A narrow pass heads through the Bausch vineyard and back to the starting point.