Franz Keller

The Franz Keller winery once arose from the expansion of the catering business run by the Keller family. 

Franz Keller Winery - Truly grown with nature

The aim was to produce wines that would be perfect accompaniments to the food served in the restaurant. In order to master this not entirely easy task, they rely on perfection and conscientious, hard work in the vineyard, just as they do in the kitchen. Virtues that were already the order of the day in the past, because the steep slopes and small terraces of the Franz Keller winery date back to Roman times. The Keller family has always attached great importance to the French way of life. And this can be tasted and experienced in the wines of Franz Keller. Thus, between fresh and fruity aromas, you will find sometimes complex and rich wines.

Modern technology and preserved tradition unite at the Franz Keller Winery

In a unique way, the Franz Keller winery is connected, even merged, with nature. The site for processing the grapes as well as the cellar, the vinotheque and the restaurant"KellerWirtschaft" blend perfectly into the surrounding landscape. This can be taken literally as far as the winery was partially built into the earth. All roof surfaces are greened with seeds from the nearby Badberg. This provides, among other things, the optimal climatic conditions both for the development and later for the storage of the wines. Modern technology merely supports the conditions provided by nature. The careful cultivation with organic fertilization and respect for nature are as well as the yield reduction by dividing the grapes, thinning out and green harvesting a part of the success that should not be underestimated. Moreover, the harvesting of the ripe fruit is done here by traditional manual labor and in several stages. This ensures the health of the berry, a very good ripeness and the full flavor of the grapes. Depending on the type of wine, this is allowed to fully develop during aging in barrique or other wooden barrels as well as in modern steel tanks. The filigree, elegant wines from the Franz Keller winery convince both guests and wine connoisseurs from all over the world. The restaurant belonging to the Franz Keller winery has also been consistently awarded a Michelin star since 1969. 

Great variety of tastes at Franz Keller

The terroir of the vineyards that the Keller family cultivates is predestined for excellent wines. Located northwest of Freiburg between the Black Forest and the Vosges Mountains, the 16-kilometer-long Kaiserstuhl offers ideal microclimatic conditions for growing grapes. The region is among the warmest in Germany: at an altitude of up to 600 meters, the vines here enjoy an almost Mediterranean climate. The calcareous loess-loam layers, up to 30 meters high, which are stratified on the volcanic weathered soils of the vineyard, act as an excellent water and heat reservoir. They provide the best conditions for the varieties Chardonnay as well as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. Since the rock varies from place to place, the Franz Keller winery is given a wide variety of taste impressions. For example, the Bassgeige in the village of Oberbergen, with its higher, cool sites, produces very delicate aromas, but its southern sites near the village also produce more powerful flavor impressions. 

The Pulverbuck, on the other hand, with its high proportion of active lime in the soil, combined with aging in traditional wooden barrels, produces an extremely fresh Weissherbst with a fine spicy note.

And in the Kirchberg in Oberrotweil, the imprint of the Burgundian Gate is particularly noticeable. The south and southwest-facing vineyard is fundamentally cooler than, for example, the Schlossberg or Eichberg sites. In interaction with the volcanic gravel at the foot of the slope, the Pinot Noir planted here in 1975 turns out rather fine and restrained, without losing anything of the usual Burgundian quality.

The following grape varieties are grown in the winery:

• Pinot Gris
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Noir
• Pinot Blanc
• Müller-Thurgau
• Silvaner
• Gewürztraminer
• Lemberger
• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon 

So, in addition to the more traditional grape varieties, there are also grape varieties that are unusual for the region, but still feel at home, such as the last three mentioned, i.e. Lemberger, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.