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Wine 850 years in the making
Schloss Gobelsburg is the oldest wine estate in the Danube river KAMPTAL region. It can trace itself back to the 12th century. This year the venerable domain is celebrating its 850th year of winemaking.
Cistercian monks, who spread throughout Europe from Burgundy in the 12th century, acquired their first vineyards in 1171, and have had a lasting impact on viticulture in Austria over the past 850 years. Schloss Gobelsburg has been operated by Eva and Michael Moosbrugger since 1996. Over the centuries, monks planted and cultivated vineyards in the very best sites in Austria. Today, Schloss Gobelsburg focuses on the Danube appellations’ regionally typical wines of protected origin, in the three categories Gebietswein (regional wine), Ortswein (village wine) and Riedenwein (from individual vineyards). The estate’s vineyards include parcels in world-famous sites such as Ried Heiligenstein or Ried lamm.
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In the last 850 years, sustainable viti-
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The wine on the Tyne 0191 563 4976 Ruth & Kelvyn of Guest Wines bring their own unique style and refreshing approach to inspire others to take up their own personal wine journey. Their enthusiasm and passion for wine is just what the North East needs.
culture was never a matter of fashion for the monks but always remained a matter close to their hearts. The vineyards are looked after with care and attention, from pruning to foliage canopy management. In autumn, when leaves are turning golden in October and November, the clusters are harvested by hand and carefully transported to the cellar in small boxes. In the cellar, the grapes are once more critically and painstakingly inspected and, if need be, sorted yet again before being gently pressed.
In addition to the regionally typical wines of the Kamptal, other diverse vinous specialties are created in the cellars of Schloss Gobelsburg.
Since Langenlois has developed into the epicentre of top-quality Austrian sparkling wine production over the past few decades,Schloss Gobelsburg has become a specialist in Austrian sparkling wine. In addition to the classic Brut Reserve, a Blanc de Blancs, a Brut Rosé and a vintage Sekt are offered at Schloss Gobelsburg.
The castle was first mentioned in a contract dated 1074 in relation to Azzo de Gobatsburich, Earl of Kuenring. The monastery of Zwettl, also a Kuenringer foundation of 1138, in the northern parts of the province Niederösterreich is today the owner of the property. But until the beginning of the 13th century, the fortress remained in the hands of the Kuenringer family but changed hands until 1740 with as many as 19 different families on the estate and castle Gobelsburg. The last aristocratic owner - Freiherr Achaz Ehrenreich von Hohenfeld - instigated the alterations of the Renaissance manor house into a handsome Baroque chateau in the first half of the 18th century. On September 17, 1740 Ehrenreich sold the property to the monastery of Zwettl, which had a manor estate in Kammern. With the purchase, important vineyards on the Gobelsburg side (Steinsetz,
Haide, Redling) were added to the existing vineyards on Heiligenstein, Gaisberg, Renner and Lamm. In 784 the old Manor in Kammern burned down and the two properties were brought together.
At the start of the 19th century, the cellar capacity was reported to be about 85,000 litres of wine; partly brought to the monastery and sold there, partly sold from the castle. The wines were named either after their origin (Nussberger, Zöbinger, Gobelsburger) or for their use (Messwein, Conventwein, etc).
Until 1930 the wines of the winery in Nussdorf, Vienna were also brought to Schloss Gobelsburg. Due to the difficult economic situation in the late twenties the property was then sold to the monastery Schotten in Vienna. The Manor, which is very similar in form and appearance to Schloss Gobelsburg, still exists.
Between World War One and Two. the castle was used as a summer camp for apprentices. During World War Two, French soldiers were imprisoned and the castle was left devastated in 1945 and all the reserves in the wine cellar back to the last century were gone.
Father Bertrand Baumann – a monk of the monastery took over in 1958. He was an extraordinary winemaker.
He not only achieved to establish the ‘altar wine’ as an Austrian Classic, but he also established the winery as the leading winery of the area. The wines of the library still show today the greatness of his skill.
Since February 1996 the estate has been managed by Eva and Michael Moosbrugger. Michael originates from a hotel family in Lech but turned to winemaking after university and hotel business. In 2006. Michael was awarded with the title ‘Winemaker of the year’ by wine magazine Falstaff. In 2007 followed the ‘Golden Glass’ by the Swedish Food & Wine magazine. the first time for an Austrian winery.
In 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2019 the winery was awarded with the titles ‘Top 100 Winery of the year’ and in 2009 ‘Champion of Value’ by the Wine & Spirits Magazine.
Back of the NETT
The Nett winery was founded in 1838 in Duttweiler / Pfalz in southwest of Germany. Today it is run by the fifth generation of the NETT family.
Christian Nett, born in 1981, is master winemaker, vitculturist, CEO and mastermind of the business.
In 2017 a new winery was constructed with five sites having been transformed into a single all-in-one.
Nett’s great passion are the Pinots, cultivating his own Pinot blanc and Pinot gris from old vines. Beside some excellent Riesling and Pinot one can even find a high quality Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet and Lagrein. The vineyard enjoys over 10m of potent loess and clay soils with fine vein lines of lime which sets the character of the wines.
Since 2011, some of the best vineyards have been exclusively farmed by horsepower. NETT has been a registered organic producer, following organic farming practices since 2015 and is working sustainably. NETT is intensively co-operating with the specialised trade and is very popular, not only in Germany. His wines are highly awarded every year.
The cuvées and special creations enjoy particular popularity, such as Glaube- Liebe-Hoffnung Riesling dry, PARANOIA and NETTSWERK
A winery founded when Queen Victoria had been on the throne for just one year is still going strong
THE GRAMMAR OF WINE
With the [semicolon] project, Mautern, Austria-based winemakers Katharina Salzgeber and Nikolaus Saahs trace the potential of Gewürztraminer and Riesling as grape varieties.
How do the commonly known characteristics react if a different approach to harvest timing, grape processing and vinification is taken?
This is an entirely new brand of natural wines, based on biodynamically-farmed grapes from Nikolaihof. First releases will be a skin fermented Riesling, Gewürtztraminer and a Pet-Nat, aged in neutral wood without fining, stabilisation, filtration or addition of sulphur during the winemaking process or at bottling.
In orthography, the semicolon is the only punctuation mark not to bow to any rule in terms of its use and interpretation. It much rather appeals to the wit of those who apply it as well as those who ‘read’ it in order to reveal a meaning – and so do the semicolon wines: they strip off the stays (of the commonly known) and invite the drinker to allow a new, unswayed perspective.
A further side glance at the semicolon as a punctuation mark reveals it’s at once separating (the full stop, creating precedents and weighting them accordingly) and connecting (the comma, stringing together and binding) quality. It separates and splits, thereby empowering the respective content. At the same time, it frames all individual parts within a larger context and thus
THE GRAMMAR OF WINE
brings them together again. This again relates to the very essence of the project: the absence of sulphur, finings and stabilisation procedures of any kind encourages the wines’ development and brings each phase into focus, all of them as parts of the big picture.
The wines are in motion; everything is allowed, nothing is required. In this approach to wine, the journey is the reward. Or let’s, very freely, interpret German performance artist Joseph Beuys: combine movement and chaos so that new forms can accrue.
Gewürztraminer (L 2019); 11,0 % vol 100% mash; eight months of aging in used wooden barrels without finings, stabilisation, filtration and addition of sulphur
Riesling (L 2019); 12,0% vol 30% mash, 70% must; eight months of aging in used wooden barrels without finings, stabilisation, filtration and addition of sulphur
Scato (L 2019/1); 11,5% vol 70% Grüner Veltliner, 30% Zweigelt; Méthode artisanale without finings, stabilisation, filtration and addition of sulphur
