Location and classification
The Zehntgraf is located in the municipality of Wipfeld at the beginning of the Volkacher Mainschleife, directly by the River Main in the southern district of Schweinfurt. The officially designated vineyard site belongs to the Qualitätswein region Franken, to the Volkacher Mainschleife area and to the Großlage Kirchberg.
Soils and orientation
The vineyards comprise south-facing slopes and lie on deep, shell-limestone soils. The area around Wipfeld is predominantly characterised by Upper Shell Limestone and lies in the lee-shaded middle Main valley, which the municipality describes as one of the driest landscapes in Germany.
Vines and winegrowing
In the Wipfeld Zehntgraf, around 85 hectares of vineyard area are farmed by both full-time and part-time winegrowers. The documented white grape varieties include Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Bacchus, Grauburgunder, Traminer and Kerner; for the red grape varieties, Domina, Spätburgunder, Regent and Dornfelder are listed. Production is geared primarily towards white wine, while red wine has been produced on site again since 1980.
History and cultivation
Winegrowing in Wipfeld is documented by a deed from September 1244; according to the local chronicle, large-scale viticulture already existed in the ninth century. The name Zehntgraf was created in 1969 from the field name Zehntlein and historical references to the wine tithe district and the former court district. Since 1971, the wine has been marketed under the name Wipfelder Zehntgraf. Land consolidation began in 1969, took place in four stages and was completed in 1984. A winery station at the Zehntlein vineyards was completed in 1973; the resulting must was transported by tanker lorry to the Repperndorf winegrowers’ cooperative.
