The winery is located in the municipality of Bürgstadt in the German wine-growing region of Franconia in the Main Valley between Spessart and Odenwald in the Churfranken area. The Fürst family has been growing wine since 1638. In 1979, Paul and Monika Fürst built a new estate building in the middle of the Bürgstadt Centgrafenberg vineyards. Paul Fürst, who has run the winery together with his son Sebastian since 2007, is one of the pioneers of barrique ageing in Germany. Viticultural engineer Sebastian Schür is responsible for external operations.
Vineyards & grape varieties
The vineyards cover 21 hectares of vines in the single vineyard sites Centgrafenberg and Hundsrück (Bürgstadt), as well as Bischofsberg (Großheubach), Karthäuser (Volkach) and Schlossberg (Klingenberg). The red wine varieties Pinot Noir ( Spätburgunder), which accounts for a good half of the stock, and Frühburgunder, as well as the white wine varieties Riesling, Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Chardonnay and Silvaner are cultivated. With the exception of the Astheim vineyards on stony shell limestone, the sites in Churfranken are characterised by the highly ferruginous red sandstone soils.
Cultivation
Great importance is attached to high vine numbers of up to 16,000 vines per hectare, the best planting material, grapes close to the ground, a constant good supply of humus, soil care and targeted plant protection. A large proportion of the vineyards are well over 35 years old. Great attention is paid to the care of the old vines and thorough replanting in order to support the potential of the terroir-influenced wines. Compost enriched with rock flour and biochar is another strong factor in soil management. Through rigorous thinning and selective harvesting, only healthy and high-quality grapes are processed.
Vinification
Vinification is carried out using the low-technique method with as little intervention as possible. After open mash fermentation, the red wines mature for 12 to 20 months in Burgundian barrels (228 litres). After self-clarification, they are bottled without filtration. After gentle pressing, the white wines are fermented in small and large wooden barrels as well as in stainless steel tanks, depending on the type of wine, and mature for 6 to 18 months. The company's premium wines include Centgrafenberg GG Riesling and Hundsrück GG Spätburgunder. Around 120,000 bottles of wine are produced each year. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines and fruit brandies are also produced. The winery is a member of theVDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) and one of the five Franconian TRIAS wineries.
