About us

Helmut Mack is a wine importer with more than 20 years of experience in the wine trade. He grew up in Franconia, a German province that is home to some of the most beautiful wines in Europe – Frankenwein.

Franconian wines are virtually unknown in the UK and so he is bringing a range of white wines here for the first time.

Mack’s Franken Wein imports directly from small individual producers whom they have known personally for many years. These wine growers deliberately reduce yields, tend the vines several times before harvest and pick the grapes by hand in order to improve quality. The careful work in the vineyard is in close keeping with nature and followed by gentle treatment in the cellar. In this way the vintners are able to reduce the amount of sulphur, which has to be added to all wines, and make them more agreeable.

The Mack’s logo is a copy of the sign hanging above Helmut’s wine shop – weinscheune  (wine barn) – in Volkach, in the heart of Franconia. The sign was painted by Helmut’s father, Heinz, who was among the last sign writers to paint by hand.

Franconia is home to master vintners who are household names in Germany. It lies in the small range of latitudes in continental Europe that produce some of the most sought-after white wines in the world. For more than 1000 years the late continental summers with hot days and cool nights have allowed grapes to ripen gradually to produce delicious white wines.

Many well-known, historic figures have sampled these precious wines and have immortalized Frankenwein in their own words. The famous German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had hundreds of litres delivered to his home in Weimar. Queen Elizabeth’s coronation was celebrated with Frankenwein.

White wines in Franconia are usually bottled by grape variety and are mostly dry, such as the most common grape, Mueller-Thurgau. This full-flavoured, fruity variety is an ideal aperitif when served well-chilled. Silvaner wines have a clearer, more elegant flavour with the distinct minerality of the shell-limestone terroir and often outclass the Rieslings currently imported into the UK. Wonderful dry or off-dry Scheurebe wines have a peachy aroma to accompany richer dishes.

Franconian wines often come in the traditional Bocksbeutel-shaped bottle, distinctive for the region. The bottle has the name of the vineyard, where the grapes originated from, written on the label and the wine is known as Lagenwein. There are different quality levels, from Qualitaetswein to Kabinett, Spaetlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Eiswein. Essentially these classifications denote the level of sugar measured in the grapes when harvested. For this there are precise values set out in German wine law. Most quality producers, however, do not take this as a sole criterion for classifying their wines. They judge the quality of the finished wine in its entirety, before deciding how to classify it.

See: Our Wines: Varieties and Quality
 


Responsible supply, delivery and consumption of our wines

We believe that all decisions in making and selling wine should be fair, caring & responsible. Making the best wine possible with the least intervention is only the start. It is not only about the environment. It is also about ensuring beneficial relationships for all involved, respecting people, and working with an innate sense of integrity.

We will not sell wine to anyone who isn’t 18 years old or over. By placing an order you confirm that you are at least 18 years old. If you are buying a case of wine as a gift – the recipient must also be over 18 years old. If our couriers are in any doubt about the age of the recipient on delivery, they will request some form of ID. If the person receiving the wine is unable to produce appropriate ID, unfortunately our couriers will be unable to leave the wine.

Respect for self and others includes responsible consumption of alcohol. The UK Chief Medical Officer recommends drinking no more than 14 units per week, spread across the week and, if you are pregnant or think you might be, not to drink alcohol at all. For more information, please see the Drinkaware website.


Silvaner Kabinett dry… clear fine herbal and slightly mineral citrus and stone fruit fragrance, with floral nuances. Polished, lusciously fine, not completely dry fruit, herbal tones, slightly earthy minerality in the background.
Wein-Plus Guide 2014
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