Silvaner Der Schäfer Retzstadt VDP.ERSTE LAGE QW Franconia

A Silvaner that shows what Franconian limestone soil and old vines can achieve together: dense, mineral, with a seriousness that is rarely found.

The Rudolf May winery in Retzstadt is one of the style-defining addresses in Franconia. The Schäfer grows in south to southeast-facing steep slopes with 30–40% incline on skeletal shell limestone — soils that release water sparingly and force the vines to deep rooting. The vines are over five decades old, the yields correspondingly low. The winery farms organically.

In the glass, a Silvaner with substance appears: ripe pear and white peach, underneath a clear herbal spice and the chalky mineral note typical for shell limestone. The acidity is precise, the body dense without heaviness, the finish long and salty. Not a wine for a quick sip — rather one that opens up in the glass.

Serving temperature 10–12 °C. Classically Franconian with Tafelspitz with horseradish, with zander on lentils, or with a mature mountain cheese. For those who don't need an occasion: good bread with butter is enough too.