Blauer Zweigelt Reserve, Domaine Baumgartner

This winery is situated in the Weinviertel area of Austria north west of Vienna, close to the border with the Czech Republic. The family has been growing vines in the area since the 17th century but it is only in the last 50 years that the estate has grown from 3 hectares to become the largest winery in Austria with over 190 hectares and tank storage facilities for 12 million litres. This was achieved by Wolfgang Baumgartner and then his son Wieland buying up vineyard land when it was available cheaply and by pursuing a policy of making wines and processing grapes for other companies, including for the 300 members of the local co-operative and they are the largest producers of Weinviertel DAC wines. Wieland is also a big believer in technology with modern tanks and new construction very much in evidence at their winery in the village of Untermarkersdorf. They are not just about volume though and Wieland’s motto is ‘wine is fruit in a bottle’ and they were named Austrian Winery of the Year at the 2017 New York International Wine Competition. Wieland has now been joined by his daughter Katherina after finishing her studies at the famous Klosterneuberg college in Vienna and she is bringing new and innovative ideas with her. This is a forward looking family business that combines size with excellent quality.