Hans Wirsching
Weingut Hans Wirsching, situated in the medieval town of Iphofen in Franconia, 90 minutes east of Frankfurt, is one of the top producers of Silvaner and Scheurebe in Germany. Twenty percent of the family’s vineyards are planted with Riesling, the classical German grape, and 7% with Scheurebe, a fruity, aromatic grape variety that first gained prominence in the 1950s. All vineyards are farmed using sustainable methods. The Wirsching estate dates to 1630, when Hans Wirsching donated a vineyard to the Abbey at Ebrach. Over the next several centuries, the Wirschings continued their love for, and involvement in, the business of agriculture and wine growing. In the late 19th century, the family almost gave up winemaking as the phylloxera louse devastated the European wine industry. It was a young Hans Wirsching who, in 1918 at age 23 and returning from World War I, made the decision to put all his energy into restoring the vineyards. The rest is delectable history.
