Our main supplier from Franconia, the Walter Erhard winery, has won the trophy for Best of Gold 2017.

Being ranked one of the top twelve wineries in Franconia has raised the game for Walter, pictured on the far right of the photo:

Source: Main Post, May 8, 2017

Obviously, the Riesling for which he received this trophy was sold out within hours. More importantly however, the Walter Erhard winery is now attracting much more international attention, in a region which itself is growing in stature and popularity.

Two well-known Anglo-Saxon writers are to report back from the steep slopes of Franconia following their visit in early July. Andrew Jefford, with his weekly Monday column in “Decanter” magazine and regular contributions to the “Fine Wine” magazine, has joined up with Mike Summerfield, author of “Geography of wine: regions, terroir & techniques”, to visit seven Franconian growers and sample their wines – including the exquisite offerings from Walter.

We are now eagerly waiting for their reflections, and hope for a further boost for Franconian wine in Britain!

The Macks Silvaner has been recommended in latest edition of The Bristol Cook Book, paired with a delicious Celeriac Curry from The Canteen in Stokes Croft, on the basis that it will complement the fragrant side of the dish.

The Bristol Cook Book is available direct from Meze Publishing.

You can dip into it here on issuu.com.

The Silvaner is available from any of our stockists or, for trade enquiries, contact us direct.

From the News section of the Corks of Cotham website (Feb 2016):

The Wines of Franconia, new additions.

Tracing its origins to the first Francs, the ancestors of modern day French, this little wine region, perfectly surrounded by the great forests of Germany, has been making good wine for several centuries. Although it has somewhat kept to it’s original, middle-ages shaped bottle called Bocksbeutels, it has done so out of need for protection of what was once a great wine culture in the heart of working man’s German land. The grape varieties adapted here are crosses of the noble Riesling and the wild vines that might have grown on the land itself. We are currently stocking 3 different wines from this re-emerging region, Erhard Mack’s Silvaner, in traditional bordelaise bottle, showing lovely notes of pear and melon in a dry, crisp and refreshing style; Erhard Scheurebe spatlese , a perfumed , fresh style with pink grapefruit and leafy green fruit aromas that just feels exotic and enticing ; last but not least there is Erhard Muller Thurgau , a brilliant fresh white that shows crisp aromas of apple, lemons and lush, ripe stone fruits. It’s slight vibrant mineral grassy tones are a bliss on a summer (or any) barbecue day.

With the hope that you are now at least curious about these appetizing wines, we welcome you soon to one of our shops.

Razvan

(Reproduced with permission from the website of Corks of Cotham, Bristol)

See also:

Wine List

For further information, please contact:

Email Robin Hague, or call 07910 985 865

Email Helmut Mack, or call 07746 348 395

Explore the rest of this website: www.macksfrankenwein.co.uk.

Notes for editors

Many well-known, historic figures have sampled these famous wines and have immortalised Frankenwein in their own words. The famous German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had hundreds of litres delivered to his home in Weimar. It’s a little know fact that 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, Müller-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 to the UK. Wonderful dry or off-dry Scheurebe wines have a peachy aroma to accompany richer dishes.

• Genuinely new products for retailers
• A new, high-quality range of German wines
• Aggressive prices and plenty of sales backup for the trade

How often can we find a truly new wine to offer the consumer? And not just undiscovered, but a wine that is high quality, distinctive and boasts an illustrious heritage.

The wines of Franconia, in the heart of Germany, have been produced for centuries. However, largely unknown in the UK, they are only now being made widely available on the British market, perfect for summer drinking.

Wine importer Helmut Mack is devoting his business to Franconian, or Franken wine, certain that the small quantity and high quality produce will find a welcome from discerning British wine lovers seeking something different from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio.

Decades of bad marketing have meant UK drinkers’ experience of German wine has been largely limited to a few notorious products.  This has disguised the vast range of white wines, and some red, that are at least the equal of top quality wines from the rest of Europe and the New World.

The story

Based in Bristol, Helmut’s Frankenwein company is currently offering a range of products from Weingut Erhard, whose Spätlese wines belie their unpromising origins in grapes that grow on virtual cliffs, overshadowing the village of Escherndorf.

“This is the steillage, literally ‘steep location’, which means these ‘Escherndorfer Lump’ vineyards benefit from the maximum strength of the sun, producing wines that are outstanding in their depth of palate and bouquet,” says Helmut.

“Much closer to the central Franken town of Volkach is the Volkacher Ratsherr vineyard.  It’s still steep, but much less dramatic than the Lump.  From here comes another range, including the well known Müller Thurgau variety.

“We import directly from small, individual producers like Walter Erhard, who I’ve know for many years.  They deliberately keep their yields down, tend their vines regularly before harvest and pick the grapes by hand in order to maintain the quality.

“In the cellar, the low-key treatment continues and that reduces the need to add sulphur and makes the wines even more agreeable”, he says.

Franconia is home to a number of master vintners who are household names in Germany, but virtually anonymous elsewhere.  Their region lies in that small range of latitudes in continental Europe that produces some of the most sought after white wines in the world.

This means Frankenwein is an authentically new taste for the vast majority of British drinkers, who will be able to rethink everything they’ve previously believed about German wine.

“I’m convinced there is a British market for Frankenwein.  German varieties such as Riesling are already changing attitudes and from Franconia we can now taste a range of some of the best wines Germany has to offer,” Helmut says.

“The wines I’m supplying are at an attractive range of retail price points, from £10.99 (a special offer) to £16.80.  The cheapest is a 2012 Silvaner from the Volkacher Ratsherr vines, while at the top end are 2012 Silvaner, Scheurebe and Riesling, all from the Escherndorfer Lump.”

Helmut is backing his Frankenwein drive with a strong consumer marketing campaign, including an attractive website, press releases to the food and wine media, aggressive pricing for such high quality wines and plenty of information to help wine retailers tell the Frankenwein story to their customers.

“I recognise that while the lack of knowledge about Frankenwein makes it a strong new story, there’s quite a lot of prejudice about German wines in Britain and I have to help retailers get their customers to buy into this new product.

“At the same time, this is a genuinely new wine for most British drinkers and it’s right they’re being offered a distinctive, high quality alternative to the white wines they’re been used to drinking, say from the New World,” Helmut says.

Mack’s Frankenwein company can fulfil an order within four working days and there is no minimum purchase.

The wines

From the Escherndorfer Lump vines:

2012 Silvaner dry – a dense, complex and juicy Silvaner, reflecting the shell-limestone soils of this iconic, steep-sloped vineyard, with an RRP of £16.80
2012 Scheurebe dry – Franconia’s answer to Sauvignon Blanc.  A pronounced bouquet with a light, peachy aroma.  This wine is ideal company for intensively flavoured food and has an RRP of £16.80
2012 Riesling dry – elegant with lots of minerality and full of fruity, citric flavours.  A wonderful oily texture and an RRP of £16.80

From the Volkacher Ratsherr vineyard:

2012 Silvaner dry – pear and melon flavours, lively acidity, perfect with light meals and an RRP of £10.99 (this is a special offer retail price, down from £12.99)
2012  Müller Thurgau dry – fresh and fruity with hints of apple and lime, fine acidity and ideal as an aperitif or served with light starters and salads and an RRP of £12.99
2012 Silvaner Kabinett dry – clear and elegant with a distinct minerality, wonderful with light and delicate food and Mediterranean dishes, carrying an RRP of £13.99

The bottle

All of Weingut Erhard’s wines come in the distinctive and historic Franconian ‘Bocksbeutel’, the flask-shaped bottle derived from the leather flasks German shepherds used to carry their drinks.  It’s perhaps better known as the container for an infamous Portuguese rosé, but is in fact an EU-endorsed heritage shape.

Ends

For further information, please contact:

Email Robin Hague, or call 07910 985 865

Email Helmut Mack, or call 07746 348 395

Explore the rest of this website: www.macksfrankenwein.co.uk.

Notes for editors

Many well-known, historic figures have sampled these famous wines and have immortalised Frankenwein in their own words. The famous German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had hundreds of litres delivered to his home in Weimar.  It’s a little know fact that 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, Müller-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 to the UK. Wonderful dry or off-dry Scheurebe wines have a peachy aroma to accompany richer dishes.