Wirsching Silvaner Estate Trocken '22

Weingut Hans Wirsching is among Germany’s largest privately owned family estates, now in its fourteenth generation and located in the medieval town of Iphofen, east of Frankfurt, in south-central Germany. The family produces wine from about 225 acres of vineyards, focusing on Silvaner (40%), the signature grape of the Franconian wine area. Once the most planted variety in Germany, today Silvaner (pronounced “sihl-fahn-er”) accounts for slightly less than 5% of Germany’s total vineyard area. Austrian in origin, Silvaner is a crossing of Traminer with Österreichisch-Weiss (“Austrian white”), is typically found in cold-climate regions, and is thought to have arrived in Franken in the mid seventeenth century, during Europe’s Little Ice Age. Compared with Riesling, it shows lower acidity and is less aromatic and fruity, and Silvaner wines are generally more similar in style to Grüner Veltliner—light, dry, slightly herbal, with a touch of spice. There’s an old saying that Franconian wine is wine for the sick, a reference to the refreshing, mineral character of the region’s Silvaner wines. 
 
The Wirsching Estate Silvaner was fermented in stainless steel at a low temperature, preserving a small amount of CO2, which creates a tangy, pleasant freshness. With modest acidity and a mineral finish, Silvaner is perfect for an aperitif, this wine is also a great match for scallops, herb-roasted halibut, and simply prepared salads.