Baden

The north-easterly tip of the state of Baden, between Werthheim am Main and Bad Mergentheim, makes up the sub-region known as Tauberfranken (i.e. that part of Franconia that is on the Tauber River). As the name indicates, the wines produced here are more reminiscent in style of Franken wines, and have less in common with other Baden wines. The limestone-rich soil, as well as the predominantly continental climate, produce wines that have more than just a passing resemblance with the wines of Franken. This fact is also supported visually in that the wines are packaged in the Bocksbeutel bottle. Unfortunately, the average level of quality in recent years has fallen behind that of the wines produced in Mainfranken (i.e. the part of Franconia on the Main River, which is the area generally referred to simply as Franken). The best wines currently are evidently those produced by Konrad Schlör in Reicholzheim, who has been remarkably successful with his Riesling wines.

(translation by Peter Gebler)