Location and landscape
Laudenbach is a district of Karlstadt on the left bank of the River Main in Lower Franconia, Bavaria. The Laudenbach rises from a karst spring and flows for around two kilometres to the Main. The vineyards lie on the sun-facing slope of the Schmidtsberg.
Winegrowing with a long history
Winegrowing in Laudenbach has been documented at least since the 9th century. Stone walls and stone terraces shape the vineyard landscape and store heat on the slopes. A land consolidation and replanting from 1962 to 1964 covered 16 hectares and was intended to enable more economic cultivation. The wine cooperative founded in 1925 established a wine-pressing house above the former princely tithe cellar.
Vineyard sites and wine style
The shell limestone beds of the vineyards of Karlstadt store heat and favour a small-scale microclimate. The protected vineyard site Schloß is listed in the Franconian vineyard directory for Karlstadt-Laudenbach and assigned to the Mainviereck winegrowing area. Historically, Laudenbach was known for red wines and Schiller wines; after the replanting, white wines gained in importance, especially those from Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau. Tauberschwarz is documented as an early, widely grown red grape variety.
