Kollwentz winery

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Andi Kollwentz, 2009

The Kollwentz (Römerhof) winery in Großhöflein is an Austrian winery in the Leithaberg wine-growing region in Burgenland . It is one of the most award-winning wineries in Austria.

history

The vineyard names Steinzeiler, Point, Dürr, Tatschler, Gloria and Setz (which are known today as the names of Kollwentz'scher wines) can already be found in the Forchtenstein rulers of 1569 and 1570. At least since 1775, the beginning of the records in the Großhöfleiner parish registers , evidence of the Kollwentz family in Großhöflein.

The winemaking pioneer Anton Kollwentz

The winery became known under the management of Anton Kollwentz, who is considered a pioneer of Austrian quality viticulture in several ways. Shortly after taking over the management in 1966, he made a name for himself with fine sweet wines. In 1970, encouraged by the demand in the upscale Austrian gastronomy, he turned to the dry expansion of white wines. While the winemakers in Burgenland at that time favored a completely sweet type of wine, Anton Kollwentz was the first to produce a dry white wine of a high quality. For more than a decade he was the sole advocate of the dry aging of quality white wines from Burgenland.

Anton Kollwentz was also a pioneer in the field of red wine production. In the 1970s and 1980s, when the Zweigelt was still widely known as a coarse draft wine in Austria , it had already recognized the potential of this grape and created high quality from it.

The innovations implemented by Anton Kollwentz also include the introduction of new varieties, the use of French oak barrels and the use of malolactic fermentation. In 1981 he was the first Austrian winegrower to plant the Cabernet Sauvignon variety and expand it in barriques . Shortly afterwards, his success with this variety triggered a real Cabernet Sauvignon boom in Austria.

Anton Kollwentz was also one of the first Austrian winemakers who dedicated themselves to the production of high-quality red wine cuvées. In 1986 he created his - now famous - Cuvée Steinzeiler from the varieties Blaufränkisch , Cabernet Sauvignon and Zweigelt for the first time . Anton Kollwentz is considered to be one of the fathers of the “Austrian red wine miracle”.

In 1995, Anton Kollwentz and other top winemakers founded the “Renommierte Weingüter Burgenland” (RWB) winegrowers' association, of which he was president for ten years. Anton Kollwentz received a number of awards for his services to Austrian viticulture. Among other things, he was named "Winemaker of the Year" by Falstaff Verlag in 1988 and the Austrian wine magazine Vinaria awarded him the "Honorary Trophy for Lifetime Achievement" in 2007. The Swiss wine critic and editor of the “Weinwisser” periodical, René Gabriel , declared him the “best winemaker in the world” in 2005.

The more recent developments

After attending the viticulture school in Klosterneuburg and subsequent internship in France, Andi Kollwentz, Anton Kollwentz's son, returned to his parents' winery in 1989. Andi and Heidi Kollwentz now run the winery. The success story could be continued under the management of Andi Kollwentz; The winery is still counted among the best Austrian wineries by the leading wine guides. With both Falstaff and Vinaria , the Kollwentz winery ranks in the highest category with five out of five possible stars.

Vineyards, grape varieties, farming methods

The vineyard area is 22 hectares (as of 2015), 67 percent of which are planted with red grape varieties. The traditional Burgenland varieties Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt and Chardonnay thrive on more than three quarters of the vineyards. The most famous wines are the cuvées of the same name from the Steinzeiler and Eichkogel sites . The Chardonnay Gloria , the Chardonnay Tatschler and the Sauvignon Blanc Steinmühle are also important .

The locations on the southern slopes of the Leithagebirge are among the oldest and best in the country. The best wines of the winery come from these vineyards. The vineyards extend from 170 meters above sea level at the foot of the Leithagebirge up to the Ried Gloria, which at 325 meters above sea level is the highest vineyard in northern Burgenland.

The red wine varieties dominate from 170 meters to 200 meters above sea level, while Chardonnay dominates over 200 meters. The altitude and the influence of the forests, which cover the highest peaks of the Leithagebirge, create a cool microclimate. In these locations, the grapes slowly reach full maturity, which is reflected in the finesse of the aromas and the intensity of the taste. The Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of the Kollwentz family ripen on the limestone soils of the Gloria, Tatschler and Dürr vineyards.

The locations in the middle of the slope of the Leithagebirge have optimal solar radiation. These soils are more thick. In addition to limestone , there is also a layer of clay there . The vineyards Point, Haussatz and Setz form the fillet of the Großhöfleiner red wine gardens. At the Föllikberg and at the Neusatz, it is primarily Zweigelt that grows, which is both varietal and used as a cuvée partner. Anton Kollwentz planted the first Zweigelt vineyard in 1958 and son Andi describes the Zweigelt as the "Austrian, and indeed the better Merlot ".

The Kollwentz vineyards are not irrigated. As a result, the vines are rooted much deeper and the grapes produce aromatic, long-lasting wines.

According to the assessments of the Austrian wine guides Vinaria, Falstaff and Gault Millau, the premium wines of the Kollwentz winery are the Chardonnay Gloria, the Blaufränkisch Point, the Blaufränkisch Setz, the Cuvée Steinzeiler and - for each year - the single-variety Cabernet Sauvignon and various sweet wines.

literature

  • Stephan Reinhardt: Burgenland. The red wine wonderland is growing up . In: Stuart Pigott , Andreas Durst, Ursula Heinzelmann, Chandra Kurt , Manfred Lüer, Stephan Reinhardt (eds.): Wine speaks German. Wines, winemakers, wine landscapes . 1st edition. Scherz, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-502-19000-4 , pp. 580 .
  • Peter Moser: Falstaff Wine Guide 2007/2008 . 1st edition. Falstaff-Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-9502147-4-1 .
  • Johann Werfring: Vinaria Trophy 2007. Lifetime achievement award for wine-growing pioneer Anton Kollwentz from Großhöflein . In: Wiener Zeitung . February 2, 2007, p. 44 (supplement "Wiener Journal").
  • Klaus Egle: The Austrian wine. The big manual . 1st edition. Pichler Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-85431-403-5 .
  • Vinaria. Wine Guide 2011/12. The 3500 best Austrian wines . 1st edition. Edition LWmedia, Krems 2011, ISBN 978-3-9502275-3-6 , pp. 362 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Vinaria Trophy 2007. Lifetime achievement honor for wine-growing pioneer Anton Kollwentz from Großhöflein . In: Wiener Zeitung , February 2, 2007, supplement “Wiener Journal”, p. 44.
  2. ↑ Hans Dibold (Ed.): Falstaff. Red Wine Guide 2004/05 . Falstaff, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-9501628-5-2 , p. 26.
  3. ^ Rüdiger Pröll: Tücke, Glanz und Gloria. White Burgundy reserves (PDF; 2.6 MB) In: Vinaria , 07/2012, pp. 44–47.
  4. ^ Peter Moser: Falstaff. Wine Guide 2008/2009. Austria. South Tyrol . Falstaff, Vienna 2008, ISBN 978-3-9502147-8-9 , pp. 535f.

Coordinates: 47 ° 49 ′ 45 ″  N , 16 ° 28 ′ 50 ″  E