About
The winery is located in the city of Würzburg (area Maindreieick) in the German wine-growing region Franconia. The traditional Staatlicher Hofkeller was already founded in 1128, making it the oldest winery in Germany. Since the 12th century it has been in the possession of the ruling power without interruption. These were the Bishops of Würzburg, who were also Dukes of Franconia, from 1814 the Bavarian Royal Family under the name Königlich Bayerischer Hofkeller (with an interlude from Grand Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany 1806 to 1814) and finally from 1918 the Free State of Bavaria under the name Staatlicher Hofkeller Würzburg. The farm was run as a teaching and model farm (see also under viticulture domain). The residence, built in the baroque style between 1720 and 1744, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. The vaulted cellars house the treasure chamber. The oldest wine stored in this wine library is a vintage from 1874, and since 1950 Bocksbeutel rarities of all sites, grape varieties and vintages have been kept there. Deep inside, the very spacious and labyrinthine wine cellars extend.
Klaus Kuhn and Friederike Voigtländer are responsible as cellar masters. The vineyards cover 120 hectares of vineyards in the following communities and individual sites: Abtswind with Altenberg; Dorfprozelten with Predigtstuhl; Großheubach with Bischofsberg; Handthal with Stollberg; Hörstein with Abtsberg; Iphofen with Julius-Echter-Berg; Marktheidenfeld with Kreuzberg; Randersacker with Lämmerberg, Marsberg, Pfülben and Sonnenstuhl; Thüngersheim with Scharlachberg; and Würzburg with Innere Leiste, Schlossberg and Stein. They are planted with the white wine varieties Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Kerner, Rieslaner (crossed here in 1921), Scheurebe, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Bacchus as well as the red wine varieties Pinot Noir, Frühburgunder, Dornfelder, Domina, Portugieser and St. Laurent. Wines from VDP-classified sites are marketed as Grosses Gewächs. The winery is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikatsweingüter).
