Location and classification
Bastel is a vineyard site in the district of Greuth in Castell, in the district of Kitzingen. It belongs to the Franconian wine-growing region Franken and is listed in the Bavarian directory of wine sites as a single vineyard site for Castell-Greuth. There, it is assigned to the Schwanberger Land area and the Großlage Schild.
Climate, aspect and soils
The wooded heights of the Steigerwald protect the site. Warm slopes facing south and west create favourable ripening conditions. The exposure ranges from south to south-southwest and west; a documented sub-plot is oriented to the south.
The soils consist of weathered Keuper with heavy loam-clay material and finer, gravel-like material resembling slate. Further site information indicates gypsum Keuper.
Wines and vinification
For Greuther Bastel, dry Silvaner and dry Riesling are documented. The descriptions emphasise a robust structure, spicy and herbal notes, fine mineral character and long finishes. For a Silvaner, fully ripe, late-harvest grapes were selectively picked by hand, processed gently and matured with mash contact time, predominantly spontaneous fermentation in wooden barrels, long lees ageing and extended ripening. A documented Riesling Reserve was matured for 60 months on the fine lees after selective hand-picking and gentle processing.
Historical viticulture
Viticulture on the Greuther Berg, the historical wine-growing area in the vicinity of Bastel, has been documented in records of the Counts of Castell as early as the year 1266.
