STEINER KÖGL 1ÖTW
South-facing, narrow dry stone terraces behind the old town of Stein and protected from westerly winds by Steiner Schreck and Kremser Kreuzberg. The soil on the mica slates is stony and extremely barren. Only in the top slope is a thin, sandy-sloppy edition with a clear lime content over the weathered crystalline rocks on the slope, the “primordial rock”. Our vineyard is divided into three parts. Riesling at the top, then Grüner Veltliner on a plateau and Riesling again below. Pure manual labour on a 2h vineyard which consists of steep terraces with two rows of vines per terrace.
STEINER PFAFFENBERG 1ÖTW
Steep, south-eastern location, located very close to the Danube, this strongly exposed to the wind and the temperature extremes. The rock subsoil consists of crystalline rocks, of “primordial rock”, such as Gföhler Gneis, mica slate and in places amphibolite, the soils are correspondingly stony, hard and mostly chalk-free. Our Pfaffenberg vineyard is located at the very top of the Pfaffenberg, where no wine was grown in the past, as it was said that it would not ripen, because the tree line borders our vineyard and “the Waldviertel” begins. We are very happy to cultivate this climatically cool Pfaffenberg vineyard, as we are firmly of the opinion that these vineyards will always produce finesse-rich wines, especially in the years when it is unfortunately getting warmer and warmer.
WEINZIERLBERG
The vineyard Ried Weinzierlberg was mentioned in the year of 1160 for the first time and was called the Winemaker’s Holl. Weinzierl is now a part of Krems but belonged to the town of the winemakers before. In this south facing vineyard Löss and primary rock, which consists of Gföhler Gneiss and amphibolite, dominates. The Pannonian climate has a huge influence here because this vineyard saves the heat very well and for a very long time. We are very happy to have this vineyard and to be able to develop it. When we took over our first and oldest vineyard on the Weinzierlberg, there were still six large walnut trees in it. Today you don’t notice any more and the great old vines show harvest after harvest what outstanding grapes they can produce.
STEINER HUND
“Many hundreds of years ago, Krems was plagued by a severe famine. But there was still a rich winegrower who had vineyards but nothing to eat. When he learned that a farmer was still hiding a dog, he traded his best vineyard for this dog so that he could finally feed his family again. Since then, this location has borne the name “Steiner Hund” and a loaf of bread carved in stone still reminds us there of the time of need in the old days.”
The Steiner Hund vineyard is thus one of the oldest sites in Krems. The soil consists of gneiss and is covered by a very fine, chalky sand layer. This is the foundation for outstanding qualities of the Riesling grape variety. The site is very exposed to the wind, which favours rapid drying after rainfall. Our vineyard is located at the upper end of the site, which means that the temperature and the influence of the Danube, which brings moisture in the summer and autumn, decreases with each metre of altitude. The first grapes from the sixty-year-old vines will be harvested in autumn 2022 – we are very much looking forward to it!
LOIBNER LOIBENBERG
The profile comes from a middle slope on the Loibenberg. The mother rock is Gföhl gneiss, a metamorphic rock which was transformed from an acidic, granitic parent rock. The sandy-stony soil promotes water extraction and facilitates root growth. At the foot of the Loibenberg there are loess and Danube gravel formations, whereas at the top, pure granite emerges in places. This vineyard is not only special geologically and climatically, but also has an extremely emotional value for us. It was the very first vineyard that we were able to buy ourselves as a winery. It is located at the very top of the Loibenberg and can only be reached on foot. Its accessibility, but above all its steep, narrow terraces make this vineyard, together with its old Riesling vines, an impressive vineyard.
