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Visit to winemaker Frank Höflich in Großostheim (Churfranken): Exchanging ideas and grapes across borders

Winery
From: Ulrich van Stipriaan
Großostheim: Frank Höflich and 'Teste Matte' - how the Churfranken winemaker stays rooted in the region, makes European cuvées and combines tradition with quality

It is always dangerous to write that someone is crazy. Most of the time it's an un-formulation, but in special cases it's praise. In the case of Frank Höflich, the situation is relatively stable: he is one of the Teste Matte, the crazy heads. This is the self-proclaimed name of initially four and now five winemakers who once studied together and now run their family wineries in different countries. Together they make two wines: a red cuvée and a white one. Crazy Heads, Teste Matte is written on the label of both, along with the names of the winemakers.

The two cuvées are European wines in which ideas and grapes are exchanged across borders. When you taste them at the winery on the edge of the vineyards of Großostheim, you naturally have to think about several things: first of all, of course, the answer to the question of where Großostheim is! In Churfranken, a little south of Aschaffenburg! But then of course: what about terroir, what role does it play in European wine from several regions? And, from the German consumer's point of view: why do many people still think that cuvées are less good than single-varietal wines? Answer: it can all be explained quite well under the principle "it has to taste good!", which is quietly and secretly accepted even among professionals. And perhaps winegrowers should simply admit that head and cellar work is also important to them: "Quality is created in the vineyard!" they always say, which is not wrong - because turning bad material in the vineyard into good material in the cellar is probably infinitely more difficult than turning good grapes in the vineyard into something insignificant in the cellar.

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Höflich, the head worker, lives these two worlds between regionality and cosmopolitanism (for a long time he was supported in the cellar by the South African cellar master Izelle Swanepoel from Stellenbosch) without making a fuss. With the Höflich winery, he is firmly rooted in the Churfränk region, and with "Teste Matte" he consciously transcends its borders. When we visited in July, he had just reopened the farm for the Häcker - the (Chur-)Franconian specialty that brings guests to the winery all year round. The Churfranken e.V. association promotes the good idea of winegrowers coming together and working with each other rather than against each other: a Häcker calendar shows how there is almost always an open Häcker tavern in every village throughout the year. At the Höflich, you can sit outside or - if it's too hot or raining even under the shade of the trees (but when does it rain in Churfranken?) - inside in the parlor with Thekle and the kitchen behind it: you can see that the economy is clearly part of the economy here! The food in the Häcker is regional and hearty, Frank Höflich's wines are predominantly Franconian dry. He knows that "many people like semi-dry wines, but the label should rather say dry" - but the fruity white wines from the steel tank fool the palate into thinking they are not quite so dry.

The family has been growing wine since 1928 - initially with a vineyard and the sale of grapes. Frank Höflich's father Peter began processing the grapes into wine himself in 1986. In 2013, Frank took over the winery in the fourth generation. Today, it comprises around 12.5 hectares of vineyards in locations such as Harstell (right next to the winery) and Reischklingeberg with clay and sandstone soils. Natural cultivation and careful processing are a matter of course for him. In addition to classics such as Silvaner, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, he also cultivates international varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Winery Höflich
Haarstallweg 49
63762 Großostheim

+49 6026 4661
weingut-hoeflich.de

[Visited on July 8, 2025] 

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Ulrich van Stipriaan
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