Main

The 527-kilometre-long river (dialectally also Maa, Mää and Mee) originates from a confluence of the two headwaters Weißer Main (Fichtelgebirge) and Roter Main (Frankische Alb) in Bavaria-Germany. The longest right tributary of the Rhine flows in a large W-shape between Aschaffenburg and Schweinfurt through the wine-growing region of Franconia. All the vineyards are planted on south-facing valley slopes on the banks of the Main or in side valleys of its tributaries (Franconian Saale, Kinzig, Nidda, Regnitz, Tauber). After passing through the metropolitan areas of Würzburg and Frankfurt am Main, it flows into the Rhine opposite the old town of Mainz between Ginsheim-Gustavsburg and the Wiesbaden district of Mainz-Kostheim.

The course of the Main forms two striking, so to speak, geometric landscape shapes in Lower Franconia, namely the Main Triangle and the Main Quadrilateral, which also gave their names to two Franconian wine-growing areas. A large part of Franconia's vineyards, with around 4,200 hectares of vines, are located directly on or around the Maindreieck. A special feature here is the wine island in the district of Kitzingen between an original arm of the Main (Altmain) and the Main Canal between Volkach and Gerlachshausen. Viticulture is practised on this island, which was created by human influence. The Main quadrangle comprises only 330 hectares of vineyards. Like all bodies of water, the Main has a climate-regulating, positive influence on viticulture.

Image: By Lencer - own work, in Co-Operation with Leo2004, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link