Whose *Wine* is it Anyway? Meet Andrea Wirsching

Estate: Hans Wirsching

Region: Franken

Focus: 40% Silvaner, 20% Riesling, 18% Traminer, 8% Pinot Blanc, 7% Pinot Noir, 7% Scheurebe

Importer: German Wine Collection

Based in the picturesque medieval town of Iphofen in Franken, the Wirschings’ involvement in viticulture dates back to 1528 when the family donated a vineyard to the Abbey at Ebrach. After centuries of winemaking, the family nearly abandoned the tradition in the late 19th century due to the devastation of the European wine industry caused by phylloxera–a vineyard insect–if not for Hans Wirsching. The 23-year-old replanted the vineyards with American rootstocks and Scheurebe, helping to establish the variety in Germany and revitalizing his family’s winery. 

Since 2014, the estate has been managed by Andrea Wirsching, the CEO and 14th generation of the family to oversee the winemaking process. Andrea grew up around the vineyards, assisting with wine production and sales throughout her childhood and teenage years. Though she studied history at university, Andrea was inspired to carry on her family’s winemaking tradition after a touching moment with her father in the Julius-Echter-Berg. Taking in the world-famous vineyard’s breathtaking landscape, Andrea knew she was destined to continue the Wirsching legacy from the 1500s.

Located about an hour and a half east of Frankfurt, Weingut Hans Wirsching’s over 220-acre estate is made up of four vineyards located on a steep slope in the best parcels of Iphofen: Julius-Echter-Berg, Kronsberg, Kammer and Kalb. All of the vineyard sites feature gypsum keuper, a mineral-rich Jurassic-era sediment that creates rich, full wines with lower acidity levels compared to chalky soils.

Julius-Echter-Berg: This Erste Lage, or premier cru, vineyard is the warmest in Franken and features a gradient of up to 60 percent, producing wines with an herbaceous spiciness.

Kronsberg: With a name meaning the “crown,” this is one of Franken’s top sites, featuring a cooler climate and producing wines with delicate fruit, great harmony and excellence. 

Kammer: Dating back to the 15th century, this site was reinvigorated in 2018 and is home to Hans Wirsching’s Grosse Gewächs, or grands crus, and grows exclusively Riesling and Silvaner.

Kalb: The Kalb slope sits on its own and was deforested in the Middle Ages; this site produces quality dry wines with a lighter body due to a higher gypsum content.

One of the largest private wineries in Germany, Hans Wirsching produces 37,000 cases of wine each year, 99% of which are dry. The estate’s main varieties are representative of Franken, with the focus predominantly on Silvaner (40%), Riesling (20%) and Scheurebe (7%). Certified for sustainable viticulture, Hans Wirsching prioritizes small quantities of excellent grapes over mass production, combining conventional and organic methods in the vineyards for the best results.

For an introduction to their wines, Andrea recommends the Iphöfer Kalb Silvaner Trocken, Franken’s flagship grape. The dry yet fruity wine features an elegant acidity and aromas of hay, apple and melon—of course, bottled in the region’s trademark Bocksbeutel.