Garagenwinzer Nikolai

In Guntramsdorf, in the Thermenregion south of Vienna, Andreas Nikolai produces one of Austria’s most unexpected cult wines: a pure Merlot, made in tiny quantities in his garage. The project began with the 2014 vintage and has been receiving high praise ever since.

History

Andreas Nikolai launched Garagenwinzer Nikolai in 2014 with one clear goal: to produce the best Merlot in Austria, a grape variety that accounts for less than 2% of the country’s total vineyard area. Inspired by the great wines of Bordeaux’s Right Bank, he chose Merlot precisely because of its underrated status in Austria.

The name makes no attempt to be mysterious: Garagenwinzer means ‘garage winemaker’, and production, depending on the vintage, ranges from a few hundred to around 1,000 bottles.

Vineyards and Varieties

This is the only wine produced entirely from grapes from a single vineyard, Ried Bügeln, a renowned plot in the Thermenregion. Andreas tends the vineyard with painstaking manual labour. According to the German wine merchant who represents him, he even plays Vivaldi for his vines whilst working the rows. 100% merlot.

Winemaking and wines

Vinification takes place entirely in Andreas’s home garage. Ageing occurs in barriques from the finest French cooperages. The result is a single-varietal wine, Saturio, named after the vineyard. It is produced in small batches..

The estate also produces a white wine called Viridis, made from the Grüner Veltliner grape.