I received two splits of wine that are in the historic bocksbeutal bottles. The two wines were a gift from The Wine Raconteur Jr and he brought them over from a business trip that he had in Germany. The gift was greatly appreciated, because it is now a real pain to try to pack wine for a flight home. You may ask, and it is understandable that you have never heard of a bocksbeutal, but this wine bottle is even recognized by the Common Market as a distinct item for Franconian wines, a wine district in Bavaria and unlike most German wines. Franconian wines are typically described as dryer, more bodied and having more terroir than is usually encountered in the tall slender bottles that most German wines are marketed in. The bocksbeutal is a short, squat rounded bottle that looks more like a flask, and the half bottles even look squatter, if I may say so.

The first bottle is Weingut Geiger and Sohne Muller-Thurgau Kabinett Halbtrocken 2016. Weingut Geiger and Sohne was founded in 1850 and is the oldest winery in Thungersheim am Main. One of the unique differences about Franconian wines is that Riesling is not the leading grape of choice. As one can tell from the label the grape varietal is Muller-Thurgau, which is now the leading grape of the area. This wine has the Pradikat of Kabinett, which means that the proprietor feels that this wine is better than the basic wine, but it is not a late harvest pick like a Spatlese, and that this wine will have even more nuance and traits of what they feel is true for them. The wine is also “semi-dry” or “half-dry” as the label indicates “Halbtrocken.” I could not find any production notes on this wine, but perhaps by the time I drink it, I will.

The second half-bottle is Burgerspital Wurzburg Silvaner Trocken 2015. Burgerspital is one of Germany’s oldest charitable foundations that owns a wine estate, and this wine comes from Wurzburg, probably the most known and important village of the area. This wine is made from the Silvaner grape, which used to be the leading varietal for Franconia. This wine is listed as “dry” from the notation “Trocken,” and some writers have likened the wines of Franconia to be more like a French white wine compared to the “classic” German white wines. I am looking forward to trying both of these wines, probably with the same dinner, I just have to think of something special to pair it with, and once again a big thank you to The Wine Raconteur Jr, his Bride and his family.