The German wine-growing region of Franconia used to be divided into the three areas of Maindreieck, Mainviereck and Steigerwald with 23 large vineyards and 216 individual vineyards. In November 2011, the members of the Franconian Winegrowers' Association decided on a new system. The three old areas were divided into 12 much smaller ones. These will also replace the 23 large vineyards in the medium to long term. The old areas once played a role in the predominant marketing of Franconian table wine, but had lost this role some time ago.

Vineyards & grape varieties

The very small Mainviereck area is located in the west and only covers around 330 hectares of vineyards. It is named after the landscape formed by the curved course of the Main in the shape of a square open to the north with the municipalities of Gemünden, Wertheim, Miltenberg and Aschaffenburg forming the corners. Primary rock soils with mica schist, quartzite and gneiss predominate here. The most common varieties are Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Silvaner and Bacchus. The area is divided into two large vineyards, Heiligenthal and Reuschberg.

Picture: From Lencer - own work, in Co-Operation with DieBuche, CC BY-SA 3.0, link