Franken, in Germany, produces wine for the adventurous drinker

Germany is bestknown for its rieslings from the Rheingau and the Mosel valley. For the adventurous, there is the eastern wine region of Franken, also known as Franconia, in the state of Bavaria. Weather conditions are harsher, with cold winters and risk of frost. Conditions are not ideal for the late-ripening riesling, so the stars in this area are white varieties müller-thurgau, silvaner and hybrids such as bacchus and kerner.

Paul Weltner's family has been making wines since 1553. Weltner has eight hectares of vines, and is planting 60 per cent silvaner, 10 per cent riesling, with the rest müller-thurgau, scheurebe, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.

Weltner, a trained winemaker and cooper, has one goal. "What I want to do is catch the terroir in that year in the bottle," he says. Think of it as a snapshot of the grapes in the vineyard at a specific point in time. To preserve the character of the wine, he practices minimal intervention in the cellar. He uses indigenous yeast and ferments the grapes in stainless steel tank to preserve the fruit's purity.