Vintner Families

Rustic Heuriger with family hospitality. For the Gallhofer family fruit-growing, and grapes and wine especially, play a big role. The Gallhofer family are among our most faithful and wittiest vintner families. With keen energy and enthusiasm, they tend to our vineyards while following organic methods. This makes them pioneers among our winegrowers along the Danube left bank at Rossatz and Rührsdorf. They also manage their own rustic Heuriger, where almost exclusively homemade fare is served. Topping the list of recommendations here is the smoked beef with black salsify salad and honeydew melon.

Favourite wine: Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Ried Kreuzberg

Vineyards: 7 ha at Rührsdorf and Rossatz (Ried Kirnberg, Ried Kreuzberg)

It all comes down to thriving vineyards. “Vineyards that thrive, with biodiversity and vines that get just the right supply of water”: Florian is very passionate when summing up his philosophy in just a few words. It hardly comes as a surprise that together with his wife Miriam he made the move to organic cultivation several years back. One of our forerunner organic farmers, he carefully selects his own custom seed mixtures to enrich his vineyards with greenery.

Favourite wine: Riesling Federspiel Ried Loibenberg

Vineyards: 2 ha at Dürnstein and Loiben (Ried Loibenberg)

Dry stone walls and a Heuriger. Christoph is a prime example of the Wachau’s young and highly motivated vintner generation. His favourite playgrounds are the dry stone walls supporting vineyards such as 1000-Eimer-Berg and Spitzer Graben, where sustainability and biodiversity crown his list of values. He is assisted by the whole family: his father Josef applies ancient handcraft skills in tending the dry stone walls while his mother Herta manages the Heuriger tavern, an almost cult venue, especially at the close of the winter carnival season.

Favourite wine: Riesling Federspiel Ried 1000-Eimer-Berg

Vineyards: 0.7 ha in Spitzer Graben (Ried 1000-Eimer-Berg)

A vineyard worked by several generations. Nina’s family repeatedly presents a pleasing picture: the children Lenny and Dennis, five and six years old, their great-grandpa Hubert and between them Nina, a full-time vintner and full-time mother, at the lofty heights of the Bruck vineyard in Spitzer Graben. While they are typical for many of our vintner families, it is not all that common for several generations to daily work side-by-side in the vineyards, with great devotion to detail and the most painstaking manual labour.

Favourite wine: Riesling Federspiel Ried Bruck

Vineyards: 1.5 ha in Spitzer Graben (Ried Bruck)

Their favourite vineyard: Ried Pichlpoint. Monika associates vineyards not just with grapes and wine but with an abundance of childhood memories. Today she is directly responsibility for working our vineyards, which even her parents Gertrude and Anton before her used to cultivate for us. Monika’s goal is first and foremost to invest great energy and conviction in maintaining biodiversity as well as a pleasing landscape harbouring variety.

Favourite wine: Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Ried Pichlpoint

Vineyards: 3.5 ha at Weißenkirchen and Joching (Ried Pichlpoint, Ried Steinriegl)

Professional musician. Music is what sets Dominik’s tempo. A jazz-lover, he has played the trombone with Vienna’s VBW musical orchestra for years. To relax from the stress of performing professionally, he retreats to Dürnstein, to tend several small vineyards for us. “Having grown up among the vines, I feel a personal need to keep the vineyards strong and healthy. That’s also the reason why I now cultivate the vineyards based on organic methods.”

Favourite wine: Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Dürnstein

Vineyards: 0.3 ha at Dürnstein

Father and son in the vineyard. The decision to convert our vineyards to organic cultivation was a joint one: Anton calls it “an important step in the right direction”, ensuring “thriving vineyards in harmony with nature”, Christian adds. Although much more effort is required, the yield is fantastic, Christian reports. “We are thrilled – everything blooms and teems with life. With the vines in harmony, the grapes are balanced and render full aromas.”

Favourite Wine: Roter Traminer Reserve

Vineyards: 4.5 ha in Spitz (Ried 1000-Eimer-Berg)

Heuriger, hunting and yoga. With great experience and enthusiasm, Johannes, a passionate hunter, and his wife Michaela nurture our vineyards, ably assisted by Johannes’ uncle Ferdinand Schütz. The couple also run a Heuriger tavern in the village of Mitterarnsdorf. Their devoted helper is Corgi, a Bavarian Mountain Hound with a special talent for routing out voles. In the winter, when leisure is more plentiful, Johannes likes to take time for a relaxing yoga lesson.

Favourite wine: Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Axpoint

Vineyards: 1.5 ha at Arnsdorf

In Spitzer Graben, with companion and protector Rico. Fritz is one of our most dynamic winegrowers, working the extremely step slopes of Spitzer Graben and the vineyards at Wösendorf almost exclusively by hand. Together with the family, most especially his mother Annemarie, who supports him wherever possible, he strives to achieve healthy, luscious and blossoming vineyards. His constant companion and protector in all activities is Rico, an Appenzeller mountain dog.

Favourite wine: Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Ried Kollmitz

Vineyards: 5.5 ha in Spitzer Graben and at Wösendorf (Ried Bruck and Ried Kollmitz)

A life revolving around sports, the hospital and the vineyard. Marlene and Alex enthusiastically continue the decades-long tradition built by her father, who for years used to be one of our vintners. With tremendous motivation, they organically cultivate our vineyards while applying keen sensitivity and dedication in their daily work. Both are employed as hospital staff. For variety from the hospital, they work the vineyards and open their Heuriger once during the season while also engaging in sports.

Favourite wine: Grüner Veltliner handcrafted with & for Friends

Vineyards: 1.5 ha at Rossatzbach