Location and History
Bergtheim is a municipality in the Lower Franconian district of Würzburg in Bavaria and lies at an altitude of about 272 metres. The first documentary mention dates back to a deed of donation from 772, preserved in the records of the Fulda monastery. Bergtheim belongs to the wine region Franconia.
Climate and Landscape
The Franconian wine-growing region is climatically situated in the transition between maritime western and continental eastern influences. Warm, dry summers are contrasted with cold, frosty winters. The landscape is shaped by the geological formations of Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper, and shows a stepped topography.
Wine Site Bergtheimer Harfenspiel
The wine site Bergtheimer Harfenspiel lies to the east of Bergtheim, about halfway between Bergtheim and Dipbach, north of the connecting road. The slope facing west lies above the Pleichach and borders in the east on the woodland area of Blankholz. The northern part is also called Seeberg; there is a small lake surrounded by forest and vines. The site covers around 17 hectares and is not assigned to any Großlage. Predominant are loess clay soils with features and/or influence of gypsum Keuper.
Vines and Wine Making
The first vines were replanted in 1974 by Manfred and Helene Schmitt, after the last Bergtheim vines had been destroyed by the phylloxera in 1925. For the Bergtheimer Harfenspiel, Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Weißburgunder and Gewürztraminer are documented. Dry Müller-Thurgau and dry Weißburgunder are evidenced as German Quality Wine (QbA) and as bottling from the estate Franken, as well as a delicately developed Gewürztraminer as Spätlese. A dry Blauer Silvaner is bottled in a Bocksbeutel. The wine site is farmed without herbicides and insecticides. The documented Blauer Silvaner is hand-harvested, made using maceration time and spontaneous fermentation, and matures in a Tonneau wooden cask on fine lees until August.
