My destination today: Würzburg.
The city is located in Bavaria, more precisely in the Franconia region.
Let’s start on the Old Main Bridge, the landmark of Würzburg.
It was built from 1476 and for a long time it was the only river crossing
between the old town and the Marienberg fortress.
Twelve statues of saints line the bridge.
The Old Main bridge is the perfect starting point for discovering Würzburg.
From here you can see many of the important sights. And I'll be checking out those spots.
And on top of that, I'll do some wine tasting because this region is known for its viticulture!
First I want to get an overview and start with a short tour through Würzburg's old town.
The town hall is only a few steps away from the Old Main Bridge.
It has many buildings — and faces:
That is the Red Building...
and that’s the so-called "Grafeneckart"...
and here we have the main facade.
In the market place stands the gothic Marienkapelle, a church that was financed by the citizens of Würzburg.
That was a thorn in the side of the bishop, which is why he did not appoint a priest.
And for this reason the church is still called Kapelle or "chapel" .
And now to a highlight of the city.
Würzburg is not a particularly big city by today's standards,
but it used to be a center of power for influential bishops.
And they lived in this building: the Würzburg Residence.
The palace and its garden are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The palace was built in the 18th century to plans by architect Balthasar Neumann.
It's a mélange of French palace design, Viennese baroque and Italian architectural art.
Würzburg is not only known for its residence, but also for its wine.
The Bürgerspital is one of the largest wineries in Germany. It can be visited with guided tours.
And that's exactly what I do.
Winery manager Robert Haller first shows me the wine press hall.
Here the grapes are delivered in fall after the harvest and processed into wine…
… which is stored one floor below.
Here we are in our wooden-barrel cellar.
We have 160 big wooden casks here, and this cellar isn't just for show.
We age our best white wines here right in the cask,
controlling the temperature, because we want to squeeze the last drop of quality out of our grapes.
The Bürgerspital is a wine state with 120 hectares and produces up to one million bottles of wine a year.
Unlike other wineries, it's also a foundation.
The proceeds from wine sales go to finance social services in Würzburg.
Wine from this region is easily recognizable by the bulbous shape of its bottle.
This bottle shape here is called a Bocksbeutel. Why’s that?
Wine was first bottled in the boxbeutel here in the Bürgerspital in 1726.
It was a shape that was unknown until then and was very difficult to produce in terms of the structure.
But they wanted to make this special bottle a symbol of the high quality of Würzburg's wines.
The Bürgerspital itself is even older, dating back over 700 years.
And speaking of great age... This also applies to a special treasure in the wine cellar.
This is our most precious jewel — on loan from the Simon family in London.
These are very, very old wines, and among them is the world's oldest authentic bottle of wine.
It's a Stein-vineyard wine from the 1540s.
The wine is almost 500 years old. Can you still drink it?
I would assume so. There's a note from a prominent wine critic.
Hugh Johnson had the opportunity to taste the second bottle you see here to the left of center in 1961.
That's 59 years ago. Hugh Johnson confirmed in several interviews that it was the wine of his life.
The Stein is Würzburg's best hillside location. The wine from there is known to this day for its good taste.
In the Bürgerspital's shop you can taste various wines — with delicious snacks.
Let's try Würzburg's own wine, a Silvaner from our Würzburg vineyard.
Silvaner is THE prime grape variety for Würzburg.
So, I'd like you to get better acquainted with the Silvaner, and I'll explain a bit more.
It flourishes especially well in the limestone soil here in Würzburg.
By "acquainted" you mean try it? Well, then, cheers.
To be honest, I am not a great wine connoisseur and so I cannot describe the taste exactly,
but I can say one thing: it tastes good!
Next there are two wines for comparison.
I sip from the first glass and try to describe it.
I'd say a dry soil, steep slopes and lots of sun.
Yes, that's a good starting position. We've got that everywhere.
And the second wine.
Notice a difference?
This one’s a little lighter.
In the words of a professional:
Well, I'd say the one on the left has a bit more yellow tail
— a bit more pear and a somewhat more charming bouquet.
The one on the right is more complex, multi-layered.
It has a rather ethereal component, also a minty and peppery edge.
I'm a long way away from that kind of fine palate, but I can still learn.
Würzburg is surrounded by vineyards that are known for their good quality,
and they not only provide a delicious wine, they're also set in a beautiful landscape.
And you can also take a wonderful walk through them.
For example if you want to go up to the Marienberg fortress.
This is where the prince bishops lived before the residence was built.
Hello, good afternoon!
In the outer courtyard I meet the guide Giorgia Rettaroli Klopfer. She takes me on a tour.
This is where the horses lived.
Here in this courtyard?
Yes, in this area.
Here on the south side of the yard,
you see the little gates that were the entrances to the stables and the many rings on the wall.
That's where they tied up the horses.
The inner courtyard is behind the gate.
Most of the buildings date from the Renaissance.
I'll show you the very oldest part of the fortress that you can still see. That's the castle keep.
The fortified tower from the Middle Ages would serve the ruling family as a refuge,
if attackers happened to breach the main gate.
Today, the tower has two entrances. They weren't there in the Middle Ages, of course.
You could only get in through one door about ten meters up from here.
You reached it by a ladder that could be pulled up.
And what did they do with the first ten meters?
That was a dungeon.
This was a bottle dungeon.
The prisoners were let down through a hole on a rope ladder — with unexpected difficulties.
He was a bit tubby, so they had to remove some of the edge stones to throw him down there.
But after six weeks imprisonment, he came out looking like he was in his best years:
no fat and actually quite handsome.
The tour concludes at the baroque Prince's Garden with a magnificent view of the city.
It is evening in Würzburg. I head back towards the Old Main Bridge.
Many people come here for the "Brückenschoppen".
In other words: drink a glass of Franconian wine on the bridge and soak up the atmosphere.
There is a lot going on — too much perhaps in corona times.
So I prefer to keep my distance at a table alone.
Due to increasing numbers of cases, the city of Würzburg has temporarily banned
the serving of alcohol at the weekend from 4pm.
But once you come here, it will hopefully be possible again to enjoy a wine on the bridge.
And then you shouldn't miss it.
I had a great time in Würzburg.
Here, you can go sightseeing, take a walk, taste some really good wine and just relax.
Well, then, cheers, to Würzburg, and see you next time.