Description Based in Franken, in Bavaria, Stahl makes wines in a region with a long and fruitful viticultural history, spanning over 1200 years. The Main River runs through the verdant countryside, where small villages of cobblestone paving and timber-framed houses dot the landscape. Auernhofen, where Winzerhof Stahl is situated, is one of these such villages. Over 15 years ago, Christian started the winery with 1.5 hectares that he inherited from his family farm. A passion project, fronted by an ambitious Christian, who proudly owns over 40 hectares today. Along the hillside banks of the Tauber, Main, and Steigerwald rivers, their low-yielding vineyards face south and southwest, on a base of limestone and clayey marl soils, and are planted with local varieties such as Müller Thurgau, Silvaner, Pinot Blanc, and Scheurebe, and international varieties for example Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Chenin blanc to name a few. With a firm commitment to sustainability, the winery is run using solar energy from solar panels, for heating they use firewood taken from the property’s forest, and natural spring water for all cleaning purposes comes from the winery’s well. Manual harvesting and a rigorous selection of fruit are followed by fermentation using natural yeasts, long lees contact, and a reductive winemaking process throughout.
