Location and natural region
Kirchschönbach is a borough of Prichsenstadt in Bavaria and lies at an altitude of about 280 metres at the foot of the Steigerwald. The area is connected with the nearby springs of the streams Altbach and Beibach.
The place belongs to the Franconian wine region. A continental climate prevails there, with dry summers, cold winters, a frost-free growing season of about 160 to 190 days, and around 500 to 600 millimetres of annual precipitation.
Viticulture in the Mariengarten
The Kirchschönbacher Mariengarten is documented as a single vineyard site. It was established in 1981 and cultivated again from 2002. The official list of wine-growing sites records Kirchschönbach–Mariengarten in the Franconian wine-growing region, Bereich Weinpanorama Steigerwald, under the large site Schild.
For the site, heavy Keuper soil has been documented. Historical grape varieties and robust new varieties are cultivated, including Schwarzriesling, Spätburgunder, Riesling, Souvignier Gris and Johanniter. Among the documented wines are dry Blanc de Noir made from Schwarzriesling as well as dry wines from historical and robust varieties. For one of these wines, four days of skin contact time and ageing in 3-hectolitre barriques are recorded.
Historical reference
Kirchschönbach is dated by the town of Prichsenstadt to a foundation around the year 800. The name Mariengarten refers to the former Carthusian monastery complex near Ilmbach, which was founded there in the 15th century.
