Geography and Climate
Schweinfurt lies on the Main; the Wern also flows through the city and drains into the Main. The urban area extends from about 202 to 343 metres above sea level. In the Schweinfurt Basin there is a continental climate with warm summers, mild winters, around 550 millimetres of annual precipitation and an average annual temperature of about 8.8 degrees Celsius. Due to the rain shadow of the Rhön and Spessart, the area is comparatively dry.
Locations and Soils
Viticulture is documented on sunny, exposed slopes to the east of Schweinfurt and along the Main valley. Local wine-growing sites include the Mainleite and the Peterstirn. The Mainleite is a steep slope on the Main between Mainberg and Schweinfurt. The landscape conservation area comprises, including the Höllental, about 41 hectares. Below the path there are former vineyard plots with extensive scrub encroachment and reforestation, while above, areas are still used. The Peterstirn lies as a steep site on the Main; the castle complex is bounded by vineyards and is located at the forest edge.
The planning documents mention loess as well as Pleistocene terrace sands and gravels of the Main. For a documented Silvaner of the Peterstirn, shell limestone is given as the site.
Wine and Management
A documented wine from the Schweinfurt Peterstirn is a dry Silvaner Kabinett from the Franconian wine-growing region. For the 2024 vintage, hand-harvesting, controlled cool fermentation and yeast storage until bottling are described. The Mainleite is also cultivated using ecological measures such as biodiversity-oriented sodding, soil care, fertilisation and plant protection.
History and Labelling
A historical account of the Mainleite records an entry in the Codex Edelini as evidence of a delivery of wine from Schweinfurt to the Weißenburg monastery and relates it to ownership arrangements around the year 1000. A Schweinfurt wine-growing association coordinated, from 1905, among other things, the purchase of spray agents, the blocking periods for vineyards and harvest dates, and held technical information meetings.
For wines bearing protected Franconian single-vineyard names there are requirements regarding permitted grape varieties, a maximum yield of 70 hectolitres per hectare and the recording of yields by grape variety and plot. On the label, the municipal or district name must accompany the single-vineyard name.
