Location and landscape
The Mainleite is a historic vineyard and a cultural landscape on the River Main between Schweinfurt and Mainberg in the natural region of Franconian Plates. It lies at the transition from the Hesselbacher woodland to the Swinfurt basin. The slope, around 2.7 kilometres long and up to 200 metres wide, is bounded to the north by the Hainwald and to the south by the Main.
Relief, climate and rock
The wine-growing area occupies a steep, south-facing river bank on the Main with an almost amphitheatrical shape. The surrounding area is characterised by a mild-warm continental climate with warm summers and mild winters; the Swinfurt basin is considered relatively dry. The slope is made up predominantly of Upper Muschelkalk, while layers of the Lower Keuper occur on the upper slope. The weathering of the limestone forms calcareous weathering loams with a high base saturation and generally good availability of nutrients.
Viticulture and history
Viticulture on the Mainleite is documented as early as the early 14th century. The name appears in the first third of this century as a field name in the records of the Teutonic Order. In 1323, Count Berthold of Henneberg-Schleusingen received vineyards on the Mainleite as a fief from the Bishopric of Eichstätt; in 1338, Count Heinrich XI. sold three vineyard plots there to Count Berthold X. of Henneberg. The Mainberg section was part of a larger wine-growing area along the hillside.
Historic installations
In earlier times, viticulture was widespread on the steep south-eastern and southern slopes. Most of the former plots are now overgrown, though small remnants have survived. Vineyard walls have been documented since the 16th century. Along Mainberger Straße, historic walls made of limestone and sandstone were built between 1826 and 1829; they contain niches and stairways. Walls and stairways also served for access and for draining away water. A wine-growing association founded in 1905 with members from Schweinfurt and Mainberg organised shared procurement, arrangements for closures and reading dates, as well as technical information events.
