Hofkeller in Würzburg, One of the Oldest Wineries in the World
Ideal underneath the Royal Home, the Hofkeller in Würzburg (the Courtroom Cellar of the former Prince Bishop, currently the Royal Bavarian Courtroom Cellar) is a labyrinthine cellar covering 4,557 m². Bavaria’s beer has several versions, and Bavarian situations this kind of as Oktoberfest make its beer entire world-popular. Consequently, I am intrigued in figuring out why Würzburg, a huge Bavarian city, has these kinds of an great wine cellar functioning for over eight generations.
The cellar tour took spot on the very last day of our Franconia weekend journey. Simply because the cellar is under the Würzburg Home, it is quick to mix with the take a look at to the grandiose castle. Involving significant wine barrels and corridors dimly lit by candlelight, we have figured out fascinating information about the stronghold of Franconian viticulture. The wine cellar stretches all over one particular kilometre in winding corridors as a result of the earth. If you visit the Franconian wine metropolis of Würzburg, you need to not pass up this labyrinth where by fine wines mature.
A shorter transient of Historical past
The achievement tale of the Hofkellar commenced in 1128 when the Bishop of Würzburg Embricho donated a plot of land in Zell for the monastery design. That was also the starting of function in the vineyard and in the cellar.
In 1540, Franconia produced the best wine of the previous centuries. In 1684 during the Swedish War, the Swedes developed a new barrel to preserve wine from 1540. That barrel is now the oldest in the cellar. Approximately two generations later on, in 1719, Prince Bishop Schönborn commissioned the construction of the Würzburg Home and requested an superb wine cellar to be bundled in the options.
One particular year later, the cellar design started out. And given that 1814, Würzburg has turn out to be element of Bavaria. The Prince Bishop’s Hofkeller, later the Royal Bavarian Hofkeller, and now the Bavarian Point out Vineyard (Staatlicher Hofkeller Würzburg), have constantly been owned by the then existing ruling energy.
Legendary wine year 1540
Our tour guideline was a witty particular person who shipped a dry perception of humour. Inside of 45 minutes, he narrated several hidden tales about the wine.
For the reason that of the finest weather and other variables, the wine from 1540 was the most effective in the winery’s heritage. When the 30-yr Swedish War started out, Sweden created a barrel to continue to keep the relaxation of the wine from that calendar year. That barrel is continue to in the cellar.
Later in 1814, the land of Würzburg belonged to Bavaria, and so did the winery. When Bavaria King Ludwig II received to know the old barrel, he claimed the barrel was not safely saved. As a result, he moved the wine to his home but sold the the vast majority of the wine in bottles secretly. King Ludwig II utilised the cash to finance his fairy tale castle in the vicinity of Munich. On the King’s loss of life, the Bavaria government offered most of his assets, like the 1540 wine, to repay his personal debt.
A Jewish wine trader Simon from Wiesbaden in Germany purchased all 1540 wine bottles. All through the Planet War, he escaped to London and opened a wine shop to market his wine collections. Sad to say, Hitler also bombed London, and so did his wine shop. Just after the war, his descendants cleared away the ruins and observed some 1540 wine bottles intact inside of a safe basement cellar.
Then, the family invited 10 planet-renowned connoisseurs of wine to recognize the origin of the wine. On the other hand, the connoisseurs could only drink the first glass of wine. The rest wine obtained oxidized so speedily that it tasted like vinegar. Getting determined the wine, the relatives decided to deliver the relaxation two bottles back again to Hofkellar in Würzburg.
Amazingly, Hofkellar did not imagine the bottles contained the wine from 1540. At the time, two hospitals, which operated two other wineries in Würzburg, opened one particular bottle and verified the wine was from 1540 immediately after tasting. The next bottle grew to become the final recognized and remaining complete bottle from this famous vintage. Just one of the two hospitals is an aged property today and retains the last 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. A lot of barrels in Hofkellar in Würzburg carry sponsorship. The sponsors’ names, both company names or personal folks, are printed on the barrels. Each and every 12 months, the Hofkellar in Würzburg invites the sponsors to style the new wine.
At the stop of the cellar tour, our team passed a large wine barrier. In the Middle Ages, servants received paid by wine, the liquid income. At that time, people drank wine much more usually than occasionally contaminated water. Those people court servants who had a very good romantic relationship with the wine master could get the wine of good high-quality. As a result, the cellar crafted a 50000-litre large barrel and saved wines mixed with many grades of good quality. All servants acquired the wine from the exact same barrel.
Sorts of Wines from Hofkeller in Würzburg
Simply because of the local climate concern, wineries in the Würzburg area deliver predominantly white wines. The high-quality of wines is labeled by the harvest amount and the harvest locale of the grapes, the VDP-certain classifications. The Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) is a German group that encourages the country’s leading wines and estates. In normal, there are 4 forms of wine: VDP. GROSSE LAGE, VDP.ERSTE LAGE, VDP.ORTSWEINE, and VDP.GUTSTEIN.
- VDP.GROSSE LAGE wine distinguishes the highest high-quality German vineyards and utilizes grape versions typical for the location that matching the wants of that person vineyard.
- VDP.ERSTE LAGE expresses the character of a winery.
- VDP.ORTSWEINE wine is bottled from regional grape types.
- VDP.GUTSWEIN wine is a unique signature of winegrowers. They are normally the first wines of a wine 12 months to be bottled and sold. The wines mature in the winery’s vineyards.
At the finish of the guided tour, we tasted the VDP. ERSTE LAGE. Possessing stayed in Bamberg for 3 days, I can say that the wines from Würzburg are the ideal Franconian foodstuff pairing consume.
Travel Recommendations for Hofkeller in Würzburg
Be part of a tour
At the moment, personal individual can only be a part of a German-guided cellar tour. English guided tour is accessible for the groups. But you can sign up for a Guided Going for walks Tour with Franconian Wine to explore the aged town and the wine for a tiny spending plan. In the winery’s shop, you can acquire all wines pointed out earlier mentioned.
How to get to Würzburg by educate
Würzburg is only about a single hour by teach from Frankfurt and is therefore a fantastic day journey desired destination from Frankfurt. Information on the railway you can locate on www.bahn.com. It is an approximately 20-moment walk from the station to the Würzburg Home.
How to get to Würzburg by vehicle
- From the A7 coming from Ulm – acquire the Kitzingen exit and continue on on the B8 by using Biebelried to Würzburg.
- From the A7 coming from Kassel – consider the Estenfeld exit and proceed on the B19 twin carriageway to Würzburg (ca. 7 km).
- From the A3 coming from Nuremberg – acquire the Rottendorf exit and continue on the B8 to Würzburg.
- From the A3 coming from Frankfurt – just take the Heidingsfeld exit.
In front of the Würzburg Home, the Home car park (“Parkplatz Residenz”) 400 parking locations.
Exactly where to continue to be in Würzburg
Numerous motels are in the outdated city, in walking distance from the Würzburg Residence and Hofkeller and to the Marienberg Fortification.