©Pamela Schmatz
Passion and focus on the essentials run like a thread through the entire project from Michael Linke and Franz Hofbauer. Two friends who were drawn back to the Wachau after their own experiences and travels in the great world of wine. The two started very small in 2014, as garage winegrowers. The task was clear: to bring the spirit of the place into the bottle and thus continue to tell the story of the Spitzer Graben.
Both gentlemen are firmly convinced that the grape varieties Grüner Veltliner and Riesling best reflect the extreme conditions of the Spitzer Graben. Anyone who has ever been there understands what they mean: a side valley of the Danube valley with extremely steep terraced areas, which stretches north from Spitz an der Donau to the cool Waldviertel.
The deeper you go into the valley, the more you feel the influence of the forests and mountains. However, it can also get scorching hot on the steep terraces and it is precisely these temperature differences and extremes that characterize the unmistakable style of the wines. Farming is now done on approx. 3.5 hectares of terraces, strictly according to biodynamic principles. The soil and vines are worked gently without a tractor, purely by hand.
The wines are fermented spontaneously, each wine is given the time it needs to develop to its full potential and finally it is bottled without filtration or fining with minimal addition of sulphur.Five wine gardens, five stories
© Markus Digruber
The 5 top locations are: Bruck, Trenning, Kalkofen, Brandstatt and Schön. Each one is unique and speaks for itself. Our favorite of the series is the Riesling Trenning, a high sitting garden at 550m above sea level that separates the Wachau and Waldviertel. The wine is elegant and complex, with vibrant minerality and just bursting with fruit.
The new 2021 vintage promises a lot and has just arrived at the Pub Klemo Shop!
©Pamela Schmatz