Wine & Food

Franconian cuisine is hearty, often drawn from the Main or from pork. The wine served with it has to hold up to both — fat and the sharpness of vinegar alike. That's why Silvaner is the most important wine here, and at the same time the most versatile at the table.

Meefischli are small, freshly caught fish from the Main — usually bleak, sometimes roach — eaten whole, without cutlery, with your fingers, ideally in a beer garden. The name comes from the Lower Franconian dialect word for the Main, "Mee." A young, chilled Silvaner or Müller-Thurgau pairs with it almost automatically. It's light enough not to overwhelm the crispy fat, with enough acidity to reset the palate in between bites.

Blaue Zipfel are bratwurst sausages simmered in a broth of vinegar, white wine, and onions. The skin takes on a slightly bluish tinge as it cooks — hence the name. The sharp vinegar in the broth calls for a wine with its own backbone of acidity, otherwise it falls flat and lifeless next to the dish. A dry Silvaner stands up to it without turning sour itself.

Schäufele, a crispy roasted pork shoulder with a dark, crackling crust, calls for something with more weight. There's nothing delicate about this dish. Here, a robust Silvaner grown on the Keuper soils of the Steigerwald works well, as it's naturally fuller-bodied than its counterparts from limestone. Or you could go straight for a Domina: its tannin binds the fat, while its cherry aromas hold their own against the dark roasting jus.

Carp, traditionally poached blue and served only in months containing an R, pairs well again with a young, cool Silvaner. And one thought stays with you after working through all these dishes: in Franconia, it's rarely the most expensive glass that makes the best moment at the table — it's the glass that happens to match the vinegar, the fat, or the fish.