Our history
Fourteen generations of passion for wine
We may not know all our ancestors' stories, but we still thrive on their perseverance and passion for our landscape and its wines.
The beginnings
The Wirschings have been involved in viticulture for many generations. As early as 1528, Hans Wirsching from Iphofen donated a vineyard to the Ebrach monastery. Centuries later, MICHAEL JOSEPH WIRSCHING (1823-1898) cultivated his wines in the house in today's Ludwigstrasse in Iphofen. His barrels are still standing in the old cellar. At that time, it was cold, and there were only a few good vintages. In addition, fungal diseases such as oidium and Peronospora (powdery and downy mildew) introduced from America made life even more difficult for the winegrowers...
Difficult years
That is why he ran a grocery shop in addition to wine growing. However, the century's turn brought new difficulties for the next generation: ANDREAS WIRSCHING (1859-1910) faced phylloxera, which ravaged Iphofen from 1904-1911 and destroyed all the vines on the so-called "Iphöfer Berg" in 1907.
The new beginning
HANS WIRSCHING (1895-1984), his son, returned from World War I as a young man in 1919 and replanted the broken vineyards with grafted vines resistant to phylloxera. He founded the Iphöfer Weinbauverein and, as its chairman, ensured that the famous Iphöfer Berg was planted by 1925 and given a new name: Iphöfer "Julius-Echter-Berg".
After his mother’s death, he finally decided to reestablish the estate under his name in 1939. Hans Wirsching Sr. became known for good Silvaner, sold his wines as far away as Berlin and planted the first Scheurebe in Franconia in 1952.
A good team
However, the great success story began in 1966 when Hans Wirsching's sons, Hans and Heinrich, took over the estate. HANS WIRSCHING Jun. (1921-1990) was the gifted winemaker and cellar master...
Dr Heinrich Wirsching
(born 1933) was a visionary and entrepreneur. He was committed to restructuring the partly inaccessible, small land plots in land consolidation and making them suitable for machines. The brothers invested in expensive steep slopes and a new production facility. The "new style" that Hans gave his wines - fresh, reductive, elegant and lean - became a trademark.
International fame
Heinrich Wirsching shaped the estate's development, which grew and became known far beyond Germany's borders. Wirsching wine was served at banquets of the American president, taken worldwide by Bavarian delegations and in 1980 was even the Pope's "Mass wine".
Into the future...
Since 2014, ANDREA WIRSCHING (born 1964), the eldest daughter of Heinrich Wirsching, has taken over the management. She benefits from the old vines planted in the 70s and 80s, which are prerequisites for the great wines from Erste Lagen and Große Lagen. Her team's work, successfully adapting to the climate changes, is rewarded with national and international awards.