Steigerwald

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 adopted a new regulation. The three old areas will be replaced by 12 much smaller ones. These will also replace the 23 large sites in the medium to long term. The old areas once played a role in the predominant marketing of Franconian table wine, which they had lost for some time. Before this conversion, the following description applied to the Steigerwald area:

The Steigerwald area is located in the east and comprises over 1,500 hectares of vineyards. This includes a section of the Tauber valley in the headwaters of the Tauber near Rothenburg. The predominant soil type is heat-storing gipskeuper. Layers of this formation are called "Steigen" (therefore Steigerwald). These are the highest Franconian vineyards up to almost 400 metres above sea level. The most common varieties are Müller-Thurgau with 35%, Silvaner and Bacchus. The area is divided into the nine major sites Burgberg, Burgweg, Herrenberg, Kapellenberg, Schild, Schloßberg, Schloßstück, Steige and Zabelstein.