single vineyard in the municipality of Volkach (Maindreieck area) in the German wine-growing region of Franconia. The name is derived from an incident during the Thirty Years' War when the Swedes conquered Volkach and camped here. They told the Volkach councillors that the town would be spared if one of the councillors drank with the leader of the Swedes and then made his mistress happy. The councillors looked for the most hard-drinking citizen in the inn "Zur Schwane" and dressed him in a councillor's costume. He then took care of everything to their complete satisfaction. Since then, the vineyard has been called "Ratsherr".
The south-facing vineyards at 200 metres above sea level with a slope of 10 to 50% cover 160 hectares of vineyards on skeleton-rich shell limestone soils with a sandy loam top layer. Due to its eminent size, it is a very uneven site. The main grape varieties cultivated here are Silvaner, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. The Braun Heinz, Erhard Walter, Max Müller I, Römmert, Zang Otmar and Zur Schwane wineries, for example, have shares in the site.
The wein.plus encyclopaedia is a comprehensive, well-researched reference work. Available anytime and anywhere, it has become an indispensable part of teaching, used by students and myself alike. Highly recommended!
Dominik Trick
Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg