Lilienfelderhof - Winemaking

Winemaking

Grape varieties from the extended Burgundian family have traditionally flourished in the gentle warmth of the Thermenregion (it was most likely Cistercian monks in the Thermenregion who originally introduced the Pinot noir grape to Austria from the Order’s motherhouse in Burgundy) and the contemporary revitalisation of Domaene Lilienfeld / Lilienfelder Hof foresees a viticultural focus on these varieties, complemented by the autochthonous Rotgipfler.

Currently vineyards belonging to Domaene Lilienfeld are planted with Rotgipfler (a cross between Traminer, a parent of the Burgundian Pinot noir, and the Austrian Roter Veltliner), Weissburgunder (a.k.a. “Pinot blanc”, a mutation of the Burgundian Pinot gris), Zweigelt (a cross between St. Laurent, related to Pinot noir, and Blaufränkisch), as well as Zierfandler, Riesling, Welschriesling, and Neuburger. Most vineyards are south-facing.

The arrival of the Cistercian monks in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries was, relative to the remarkable antiquity of the region’s viticulture, a recent development. Roman legionnaires stationed in Carnuntum and Vindobona 2,000 years ago encountered an intact tradition of winemaking to the south of Vienna, which they subsequently improved through the introduction of superior Italian grape varieties.

Read more about this topic:  Lilienfelderhof