Fine wines from Austria

... at least at the Pferschy-Seper Winery in the Lower Austrian town of Mödling. For four generations, the women of the family have taken it upon themselves to produce fine wines from the Thermal Region. “We cultivate our vineyards according to organic principles and use only the best grapes for our wines,” explains vintner Birgit Pferschy-Seper. Together with her mother, she completely switched to organic farming in 2003. “Every generation sees things differently and wants to implement new ideas. This makes it exciting to constantly rethink the business,” says Birgit. The fifth generation is already supplying fresh impetus: daughter Anna acquired international wine expertise in California and Australia, and following her training she joined the business in order to contribute her know-how. Her two sisters Kathi and Leni are still in training and help out as well—it’s a woman’s world at Pferschy-Seper!

South Styria is known for its extraordinary vineyards. Due to the hilly landscape, the vintners had no choice but to plant their vineyards on steep slopes. “This makes the cultivation and harvest of the grapes a challenge, but it makes our wine that much better,” says vintner Jakob Jakopé, from the KulturWeingut Kästenburg, with a grin. From harvesting to bottling, the winemaker also ensures that sustainable procedures are followed. “We live and work in the midst of nature, so it simply makes sense to protect it,” says Jakopé. The fine vintages from the cellar are accompanied by Styrian specialities prepared by his sister Lisa-Maria, who gives them the finishing touch with Styrian runner beans and pumpkin-seed oil.

The province of Burgenland is known for its first-class red wines. At her wine estate, vintner Silvia Heinrich exclusively produces red wines: “My passion is Blaufränkisch. This grape variety puts its origins on full display in the glass, and that’s what I want to convey with my wines,” says the Burgenland native. The wine ages for several years in barriques before being bottled: “The wine draws from the wood the delicate aromas that gives it its special flavour. Depending on the wine, the ageing process takes from one to four years,” explains the vintner. The careful use of natural resources is the most important thing at her winery. Plants grow in the vineyards that promote healthy soil life: “When we work with nature, we can find long-term ways of avoiding pests on our grapevines,” she says.

Vienna is the world’s only major city where wine is grown within the city limits. The warm airstreams from the surrounding thermal regions and the loam-rich soil are the ideal combination for fruity wines. Vienna’s “Gemischter Satz” is the speciality of the Austria capital, and associated wine-tavern culture is on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Fuchs-Steinklammer family has been cultivating vineyards on the Bisamberg, on the northern edge of Vienna, and in Mauer, in the south, since 1697. The family produces award-winning wines and runs a wine tavern and pension. “At our tavern you will find traditional Viennese Gemütlichkeit, original Wiener Schnitzel, and to go with it a glass of “Gemischter Satz,” says tavern-keeper Helene Fuchs-Steinklammer.