The winery is located in the city of Würzburg (Maindreieck area) in the German wine-growing region of Franconia at the foot of the steep vineyard that gives it its name. It has been run in the fifth family generation since 1990 by Ludwig Knoll and his wife Sandra. A guesthouse is attached. The family-run "WeinWerk am Stein" organises tastings, presentations and seminars. Also worth seeing is the stone cellar, completed in 2015, which is dedicated to biodynamically inspired wine vinification in concrete eggs and amphorae. The "REISERS" restaurant (awarded one Michelin star and rated the best in Würzburg by Gault Millau ) has been leased to star chef Bernhard Reiser.
The vineyards cover 39 hectares of vines in the single vineyard sites Innere Leiste and Stein (Würzburg), Sonnenstuhl and Pfülben (Randersacker), and especially Stein (Stetten). They are planted with the white wine varieties Silvaner, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Scheurebe, as well as the red wine variety Pinot Noir. Organic farming is carried out according to certified Naturland standards. Only natural remedies are used in the vineyards, such as their own biodynamic preparations and homeopathic teas, to strengthen the vines' resistance. For the purpose of soil revitalisation, compost from stable manure and pomace from our own compost farm is used. The cover crop of the vine rows provides a balanced supply of nutrients and promotes biodiversity. No synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilisers are used.
The product range is divided into the lines Junge Wilde (estate wine), Bodenschätze (local wine), single vineyard (Erste Lage) and Grosse Gewächse (Grosse Lage) according to the VDP classification. Other lines are Vinz Alte Reben (from vines over 60 years old on the steep slope Stettener Stein), Montonia (Topburgunder aged in barrique or large wooden barrels), Die Edelsüßen (Auslesen, Eiswein), Feine bubbles (bottle-fermented vintner's sparkling wine) and Herzstück (fruit brandies). In the stone cellar, the "Grosse Gewächse“ and Vinz old vines mature in concrete eggs. In the wooden barrel cellar, the Vinz and Montonia wines mature in barriques, tonneaux and barrels. Around 200,000 bottles are produced annually. The winery is a member of VDP and Naturland.
Photos: by Markus Basler and Stefan Schütz;
© Ludwig Knoll, Winery am Stein
