Winery Rudolf Fürst

Extensive vineyards, juicy grapes, sturdy shoes and a bucket on one arm. Even as a child Paul Fürst loved helping his parents in the family business and always got involved in the manual grape harvest.

“Wine is practically a member of the family, and has been a fixed part of our lives for as long as I can remember,” says Fürst. The winemaker has always been passionate about red wine.

Red wine from the Spessart-Mainland

The Fürst family can look back on a long and successful tradition. They have been producing the finest red wine at their winery in Maintal since 1638. Yet Franconia is actually renowned as the German stronghold of white wine.

Many people are unaware of the fact that the region of Franken in Spessart-Mainland, between Großostheim in the north and Bürgstadt in the south, is an excellent area for cultivating red wine.

Father and son rely on tried and tested traditions

Across its 50 km length and 20 km breadth, this region offers optimum growing conditions thanks to its mild climate and its iron-rich soil. This is where the unique Pinot Noir from Paul and Sebastian Fürst is grown.

The old recipes taste best

In creating their  wines, both father and son rely heavily on tried-and-tested traditions. So the experience of many generations shines through –  naturally without the old wine presses and wooden buckets, but still with enormous passion and dedication.

The love of wine has shaped the philosophy of the Fürsts. Instead of mass production, they continue the tradition of staggered and selective harvesting of the grapes by hand. This reduces revenues but perfects the taste.

The long maturing period in wooden barrels gives the wine its body. It is during this time that the unmistakably fine, yet at the same time fresh and playful taste develops.

The Fürsts are convinced that the more effort they put into their product, the better the result. From the climate to the soil, from the right vines to the perfect position, from the correct amount of humus at the vineyard to the painstaking harvest, the experts work meticulously on every tiny component in order to produce an even better product every year. And the hard work pays off: many of their wines have won awards.

Guests at the Rudolf Fürst winery

Visitors love coming to the family business and tasting the fine wines whilst enjoying the outstanding views across the terrace to the Low Mountains and the popular red wine route.

The surrounding country inns and gourmet restaurants are also more than happy to serve the Fürst’s reds, such as their Pinot Noir, with their game dishes.

Like father, like son

Paul Fürst is delighted by the success of his wines, but this doesn’t mean that he can rest on his laurels. At the age of 62 he still contributes all his expertise to the business and has no thoughts of retiring.

In the meantime, however, his son Sebastian has taken over running the business. The trained wine-maker manages a team of seven employees, which rises to up to 40 workers during the harvest. The family tradition continues – from generation to generation. The search for an even better vintage goes on. It’s a never-ending story.