Weninger winery

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Coordinates: 47 ° 35 '12.8 "  N , 16 ° 32' 53.9"  E

The Weninger winery in Horitschon, exterior view
The Weninger winery in Horitschon, presentation room

The Weninger winery is a winery based in Horitschon in Central Burgenland, Austria, and in Balf near Sopron, Hungary . In the southern Hungarian town of Villány there is a joint venture with the Hungarian winemaker Attila Gere.

Weninger Horitschon

history

The success story of the winery began in 1982 when Franz Weninger (born December 2, 1953) took over the family business in Horitschon. As one of the first vintners in Central Burgenland, he converted his business to a modern economy with quality wine production. In 1996 Franz Weninger was named "Winemaker of the Year" by Falstaff .

Franz Weninger always knew how to quickly adapt to innovations. As the first winegrower in Central Burgenland, he switched his winery to an organic farm in 2005. In Austria, the winery is one of the pioneers of a straightforward red wine style with reduced use of wood.

In 2012, Franz Reinhard Weninger (born July 6, 1979), who had previously managed the winery in Balf near Sopron, also took over responsibility for the Horitschon business. His father, Franz Weninger, is still at his side as a senior partner.

architecture

In 1998 the new winery was built in Horitschon, which - in a modern interpretation - is typologically modeled on the old Burgenland farms. In addition to a barrel cellar, a processing hall and a bright tasting room, the elongated property also includes an office, living area and guest room. Certain elements in the operating area are coordinated with the distinctive bottle label.

Locations, varieties

When Franz Weninger took over the business in 1982, the cultivation area was seven hectares. The cultivation area is currently 26 hectares (as of 2016). The winery cultivates vineyards in the best locations in Horitschon. The Blaufränkisch is the most important variety on the farm. Weninger's Blaufränkisch Dürrau, which has been in the range since 1999, is one of the most exclusive red wines in Austria. Other Blaufränkisch come from the Hochäcker, Kirchholz and Gfanger locations. Weninger's Reserve Cuvée Veratina only appears in good years. The Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Merlot varieties also come from Horitschon vineyards . There is also a vineyard in Horitschon with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The vines in Horitschon predominantly thrive on deep, medium-heavy to heavy clay soils, some of which have a high clay and iron content. The best wines come from vineyards with old vines.

In the neighboring town of Ritzing, Weninger's Pinot Noir grows in the calcareous vineyard . Weninger has leased a vineyard area of ​​0.6 hectares with soils interspersed with slate on Eisenberg in southern Burgenland. This is where the Blaufränkisch Saybritz, the Welschriesling and the mixed sentence come from .

Around 30 percent of the production of the Horitschon winery is exported, primarily to Germany, Switzerland and the USA, and also to the Netherlands, Japan, Scandinavia and Russia.

Weninger Sopron-Balf

The Weninger winery in Balf near Sopron

history

The Weninger family has been operating viticulture in the Spern Steiner and Frettner vineyards in Balf near Sopron (Hungary) since 1997 . Franz Reinhard Weninger has headed the business in Balf near Sopron since 2002 (since 2012 he has also managed the winery in Horitschon). In 2006, Balf switched to organic farming. In the same year, the new winery was built in Balf.

Locations, varieties

Weninger's vineyards around Balf near Sopron are 24 hectares (as of 2012). Premium wine is a mineral Kékfrankos (Blaufränkischer) made from old vines from the Spern Steiner site, which has mineral soils interspersed with gneiss and mica slate. The Spern Steiner location is considered to be the top location in the Sopron region. A classically developed Kékfrankos in the inexpensive price segment also comes from this location. In the Frettner location, the soils consist of parabrown earth with deposits of highly weathered bedrock.

In addition to Kékfrankos, the grape varieties in Balf also include Merlot, Syrah , Pinot Noir , Cabernet Sauvignon , Cabernet Franc and Fehérburgundi (Pinot Blanc). As the Budapest newspaper reported in 2003, Weninger's "Merlot and Syrah wines (...) are among the best that Hungary currently has to offer in red."

Around 60 percent of production is sold directly in Hungary, the rest is exported (mainly to Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain).

Weninger & Gere in Villany

In 1992 Franz Weninger founded a joint venture with the Hungarian winemaker Attila Gere under the name "Weninger & Gere Weingüterkooperation KFT" in Villány, southern Hungary . Together they acquired a 15 hectare vineyard area, which was planted exclusively with red wine vines. The range includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Blaufränkisch and Merlot.

literature

  • Vinaria. Wine Guide 2011/12. The 3500 best Austrian wines . Edition LWmedia, Krems 2011, ISBN 978-3-9502275-3-6 , p. 411.
  • Thomas Zöbelin: Borderline experiences at Lake Neusiedl. In: Budapester Zeitung , June 16, 2003, p. 9.
  • Hungarian mother. Franz Weninger does a Blaufränkisch in Balf near Sopron, which is rare both in Hungary and in Burgenland. In: Der Standard , June 16, 2000, supplement “Rondo”, p. 15.
  • Modern life. In: trend , No. 5/2001, pp. 264-266.
  • Christoph Wagner: At the limit. In: profil , No. 6, February 4, 2002, p. 100.
  • Walter Kutscher, Christa Hanten: Wein Burgenland . Edition Gutenberg, Vienna / Graz 2004, ISBN 3-900323-78-X , p. 142.
  • Eric Asimov: A Complex Red With an Austrian Accent . In: The New York Times , September 13, 2011.
  • Johann Werfring: Weninger's bravura piece in New York. In: Wiener Zeitung , December 23, 2011, supplement “Wiener Journal”, pp. 38–39.
  • A mixed case of reds from Austria. In: Wine Enthusiast , October 2007, p. 62.

Web links

Commons : Weingut Weninger  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Peter Moser: Unlimited wine pleasure . In: Falstaff magazine, September / October 2001, p. 52 f.
  2. ↑ Luzia Schrampf: Weinmacher . Austria's winemakers on the move . AVBook - Österreichischer Agrarverlag, Vienna 2008, ISBN 978-3-7040-2297-4 , p. 37.
  3. ↑ a b Stephan Reinhardt: Burgenland. The red wine wonderland is growing up. In: Stuart Pigott , Andreas Durst, Ursula Heinzelmann, Chandra Kurt , Manfred Lüer, Stephan Reinhardt: Wine speaks German. Wines, winemakers, wine landscapes . Scherz Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-502-19000-4 , p. 600.
  4. ↑ a b c Vinaria. Wine Guide 2012/13. The 3500 best Austrian wines . Edition LWmedia, Krems 2012, ISBN 978-3-9502275-5-0 , p. 425.
  5. ↑ a b Vinaria. Wine Guide 2008/09. The 2400 best Austrian wines . Edition LWmedia, St. Pölten 2008, ISBN 978-3-9502275-2-9 , p. 320.
  6. ^ Johann Werfring: Finesse from the clay . In: Wiener Zeitung , January 18, 2013, supplement Wiener Journal , pp. 34–35.
  7. ↑ Luzia Schrampf: Weinmacher . Austria's winemakers on the move . AVBook - Österreichischer Agrarverlag, Vienna 2008, ISBN 978-3-7040-2297-4 , pp. 36-39.
  8. ↑ Legends, tradition and young investments. In: Vinum extra Prowein , 2008, p. 19.
  9. ↑ Bauern Journal , June 2002, p. XV.
  10. ↑ Thomas Zöbelin: Red wine without borders. In: Budapester Zeitung , August 25, 2003, p. 6.
  11. ↑ Hans Pleininger: Red Wine Connection . In: Wirtschaftsblatt , February 28, 2004, p. 26.
  12. ↑ Unlimited cooperation bears excellent fruit. In: Blick ins Land , 7/1997, p. 12.