We are in Wagram, just nortwest of Vienna with a young fella called Arnold Holzer. Arnold is a down-to-earth guy, whose upbringing has taken place between vines and in the winecellar of his parents at Eschenhof Holzer. Arnold knows his 16ha of soil, his vines and his identinty as a vintner – being a fifthgeneration winemaker has its benefits! His vines are having a good time with their roots in soils composed mostly of the loess, characteristic to Wagram, in multiple layers dating back to the latest ice-age and a subsoil of marine deposits. With an openminded character, ambitions of constant improvement alongside with respect and understanding of tradition, great wines are created by this guy!

Also he will let you in on a little secret of Austrias:

As one of the few wineries in Austria, Eschenhof Holzer dedicates some of their best vineyards to the the almost-forgotten grape Roter Veltliner!

Now – Roter Veltliner is the mother – or father if you like (long live equality) – of the more wellknown Grüner Veltliner and all other grapes in the Veltliner family! It is easy to understand why many would abandon poor little Roter Veltliner: Not exactly wellknown nor recognized, always getting a cold in those springfrosts before anyone else and being very prone to diseases, but at the same time requering some of the best vineyard-sites to produce qualitywine… That sounds like a lot of trouble to a vintner! But take good care of it, give it the patience, attention and time needed and what wines it will bring you!! Such intensity, precision and longlivity! And that is exactly what Arnold does!

Also he makes great wines on the darling-grapes of Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt, Blauer Zweigelt and Riesling, a bit of Frühroter Veltliner as well… but… guess we must admit that his courage and success with the Roter Veltliner was something we just couldn’t resist! When we tried the Roter Veltliner from Eschenhof Holzer we felt it was like a secret that had been kept from us this entire time, finally revealing itself! And now, by bringing this secret to Denmark, it perhaps is a not-so-secret-secret by now, but nontheless great and super rare!