Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours took place from Sunday, May 28 - Thursday, June 08, 2023. We toured Austria for 12 days, starting and ending in Vienna: Wien, Wagram, Carnuntum, Burgenland, Steiermark, Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental, Wien.
Klosterneuburg is an incredibly beautiful and very special place, not just in Austria, but on the planet. It has been Austria’s most important religious, cultural, and enological center for more than 900 years.
We spent a whole afternoon there. First, we toured the monastery and palace Klosterneuburg. Then, we went to that part of the monaster/ palace where the wine making facilities are located and enjoyed a tour with the same guide. Finally, we tasted 4 wines in the wine cellar.
Weingut Stift Klosterneuburg wines are available in the USA.
Guided Tour of the Monastery and Palace Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg
is an incredibly beautiful and very special place, not just in Austria,
but on the planet. It has been Austria’s most important religious,
cultural, and enological center for more than 900 years. Markgraf
Leopold III laid the foundation stone in 1114. In 1133 Bishop Hartmann
and thirty Augustinian Canons founded the monastery and worked fields
and vineyards to sustain their living. The mighty Monastery and Palace
Klosterneuburg - visible from afar - is breathtakingly beautiful: the
location on the banks of the Danube river and its appearance that mostly
goes back to the Baroque period. We saw the monastery as well as
the famous Imperial Appartments.
Tour of Weingut Stift Klosterneuburg, Wagram
Stift
Klosterneuburg is one of the oldest continuously operated wine estates
of the world. Since 1133, except for four years during WWII, Augustinian
monks made wine at Stift Klosterneuburg. Today Stift Klosterneuburg is
Austria’s oldest and largest privately owned wine estate with 225 acres
of vineyards in top sites around Klosterneuburg. In 1860 the monks
founded the first enological school which still today has a stellar
reputation, and most of the top winemakers in Austria studied here.
Stift Kosterneuburg is also Austria’s only carbon-neutral winery.
We did do a tour through the cellar, ending with a tasting of the Klosterneuburg wines.
Stift Kloserneuburg
Terroirwines.com
The Klosterneuburg is one of the world’s oldest wine estates, tracing its lineage back to the 12th century, when the monastery was founded by Margrave Leopold III of Babenberg (now Saint Leopold, Patron Saint of Vienna and Austria). In 1133 the Margrave summoned the Order of St. Augustine to Klosterneuburg, where they were to spend centuries developing the monastery into a center of religious life, culture and scholarship. To this day the Augustinian Canons work in this spirit following closely the monastic Rule of Saint Augustine. In 2014 Stift Klosterneuburg Monastery celebrated its 900th anniversary, and continues to serve as Leopold’s final resting place.
The Wine Estate
Stift Klosterneuburg owns a total vineyard area of 108 hectares, making it one of the largest and most famous wineries in the country. With nearly ten centuries of experience, Stift Klosterneuburg is dedicated to producing authentic wines of character, wines with a sense of place. Specialization in indigenous grape varieties, conscientious handling of the fruits and gentle vinification serve this goal.
The Vineyards
The legendary vineyards are the heart of the estate. Located in Vienna, and in the villages of Klosterneuburg (Wagram), and Gumpoldskirchen and Tattendorf (both in Thermenregion), they are part of a vital ecological system and home to numerous species of flora and fauna. Sowing a diversity of plants between vine rows attracts an abundance of beneficial animals and insects. The soil is given great attention in the vineyards. Fertilization is with the estate’s own compost, and the living soil is worked entirely by hand. Each vine is given individual attention by placing shoots and pruning leaves to ensure optimal sun exposure and ripening. The estate is currently experimenting with keeping chickens between the rows to loosen the soil, provide light fertilization and reduce weeds.
The Cellar
An extensive cellar from the Baroque period delves deep under the monastery. The vaulted cellar extends over four levels to a depth of 36 meters (118 feet). State-of- the-art technologies are put to work for the production of absolute top-quality wines in this historic venue. Prolonged, temperature-controlled white wine vinification highlights classic varietal aromas and fresh, crisp fruit. Red wines are fermented warmer for optimal extraction of color and tannin. Minimal intervention is practiced to preserve the varietal, vintage, and site character of the wines. Maturation and storage take place in the four story vaulted cellar directly under the monastery.
Carbon Neutral
Conscientious use of the natural resources has always been a central concern for Stift Klosterneuburg. The estate has been certified as the first carbon neutral winery in Austria by the environmental protection pioneer “ClimatePartner.” Sustainable cultivation and production methods employed at the winery result in significant reductions in emissions. The deep double-walled cellar of Stift Klosterneuburg does not require any additional air-conditioning for wine storage. The warmth created during fermentation and other processes is recycled, and the estate’s own biomass power plant satisfies all heating needs and delivers surplus energy into the network. Relying on local energy providers whenever possible helps reduce transportation needs. Stift Klosterneuburg is in the process of converting all of its tractors to biofuel. Winery manager Wolfgang Hamm keeps a close on our production methods and says “Environmental protection is a permanent process in our winery.”
Tasting
We tasted 5 wines.
Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - Published and Forthcoming Postings
ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North
Announcement: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023
Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at an Iconic Beisl in Vienna: Griechenbeisl - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour of the Monastery/ Palace Klosterneuburg and of the Weingut Klosterneuburg, with Wine Tasting - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours
Tafelspitz and Wiener Schnitzel at Plachutta in der Wollzeile, a Viennese Insitution (12/20 GaultMillau)
An After-dinner Glass of Wine at Vis-à-Vis Wine Bar in Vienna
Sightseeing in Vienna: Schönbrunn Imperial Palace and Fiaker Tour
Lunch at Restaurant Die Seejungfrau in Jois at Lake Neusiedl
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Leo Hillinger, Burgenland, with Jakob Scharner, Diplom-Sommelier
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Netzl, Carnuntum, with Franz, Christine and Christina Netzl
Lunch at Restaurant Mole West at Lake Neusiedl
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Anita and Hans Nittnaus, Burgenland, with Anita, Hans and Martin Nittnaus
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Umathum, Burgenland, with Joseph Umathum
Sekt Reception in the Court Yard and Dinner at Schloss Halbturn, Burgenland
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Steindorfer, Burgenland, with Ernst and Roland Steindorfer
Light Lunch at Gránátos Étterem at Esterházy Kástely in Fertöd, Hungary
Tour of the Liszt-Haus in Raiding
Tasting at Weingut Straka, Burgenland, with Thomas Straka
Eating and Sleeping in the Vineyard: Wohnothek am Ratschen, Deutsch-Schützen, with Chef Daniel Sulzer, Restaurant am Ratschen, 16 Points Gault-Millau
Tasting at Weingut Wachter-Wiesler, Burgenland, with Julia Wachter
Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Weingut Jalits, Burgenland, with Mathias Jalits
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Neumeister, Steiermark, with Christoph Neumeister
Dinner with a View at Hotel Weinrefugium, Steiermark
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Sattlerhof, Steiermark, with Justė Sattler
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wohlmuth, Steiermark
Lunch and Tasting at Buschenschank Weingut Trummer, Steiermark, with Jürgen Trummer
Tasting at Weingut Polz, Steiermark, with Sommelier Philipp Heidenbauer
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Tement, Steiermark, with Sommelier Andy Bodor
Lunch at Restaurant Magnothek/ Weingut Tement, Südsteiermark
Gustav Mahler, Sinfonie Nr.3 at Graz Opera, Steiermark
In Eisenstadt, Burgenland: Tour at Haydn House, Lunch at Restaurant Henrici, Tour at Esterhazy Castle
At Loisium Wine & Spa Resort Langenlois, Kamptal: Impromptu Steininger Sekt Reception with Eva Steininger and Klaus Wittauer
Wine-pairing Dinner at Heurigenhof Bründlmeyer with Chef Jan Pfeiffer, 15.5 Point Gault Millau
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Steininger, Kamptal, with Brigitta Steininger
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Stephanie and Alwin Jurtschitsch, Kamptal, with Alwin Jurtschitsch
Lunch at Braugasthaus zum Fiakerwirtin Langenlois, Kamptal
Tasting at Weingut Markus Huber, Traisental, with Markus Huber
2 Days in Dürnstein, Wachau, at Hotel Richard Löwenherz
Vineyard Walk and Tasting at Weingut Tebernseeerhof, Wachau, with Owner/ Winemaker Martin Mittelbach
Tour and Tasting at Domäne Wachau, Dürnstein, Wachau
Tasting and Dinner at Weingut Nigl, Kremstal, 13.5 Points Gault Millau
Tour and Tasting at Weingut F.X.Pichler, Wachau, with Lucas Pichler
Tasting at Weingut Matthias Hager, Kamptal, with Doris Hager
Lunch at Gasthaus Gutmann, Zöbing, Kamptal
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg, Kamptal, with Stefan Tabery