Eschenhof Holzer

Wine made by hand!

We are in Wagram, just northwest 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 wine cellar of his parents at Eschenhof Holzer. Arnold knows his 16ha of soil, his vines and his identity as a vintner – being a fifth generation 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!

In the vineyard:

• Organically grown grapes, no herbicides or pesticides and only self produced natural compost of grape residues and horse dung
• "We also plant legumes between the rows, alternating every other row each year. Here we see deep-rooted clover varieties and flowering plants that remain in the crop until after flowering" - Arnold Holzer
• De-budding and de-shooting by hand to ensure that each vine is focusing all of its energy on the selected shoots and grape bunches, limiting the number of bunches produced by each vine.
• Leaf-thinning by hand of each vine to allow each bunch greater exposure to sunlight and keeping the bunches ventilated thereby reducing disease.
• Bunch-thinning by hand where and when necessary to eliminate any bunches affected by sour rot or bunches ripening unevenly.
• Hand-picked grapes.
• only necessary plant protection
• Soft pruning of the vines - To reduce big wounds and stress for the vines

In the cellar:

• Use of naturally occurring yeasts only
• Fining of wines, if needed
• Very low Sulfites, added if needed (especially before bottling)
• Long time on lees. From 6 month to 3 years. Depends on type of wine.
• Grüner Veltliner - Goldberg has 12 month on the fine lees, 50% in stainless steel that is whole bunch pressed and 50% in used oak and with 4 days maceration.
• Short distance from the vines to the estate to ensure no oxidation
• Estate bottled