Pichler-Krutzler

The history

Erich Krutzler had made a name for himself in Burgenland and when he and Elisabeth Pichler set out to look for real estate in 2007, they looked at Erich Krutzler's homeland in the southern part of the region.

However, the real estate deal fell through at the last minute. When Elizabeth's father, Franz Xaver Pichler, stepped in, the two began to reconsider Wachau, which was already right in front of them. The winery opened that year, and the two explained that it was a natural outcome of their marriage.

Starting a business in a region where one's father-in-law is one of the leading figures inevitably involves some friction. Krutzler resisted from the start, refusing to join Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus, which oversaw Codex Wachau and its subsidiary maturity classifications, Steinfeder, Federspiel, Smaragd. Even back then, and still today, his stance is that acidity is more important than ripeness.

For many years, Pichler-Krutzler had been renting wine cellar space. However, the situation changed when they acquired Rothenhof. Rothenhof is a medieval estate located in a small village near the Danube, just below the Pfaffenberg vineyard. After three years of restoration work, the property now features its own wine cellar, visitor facilities, and a family residence.

Thirteen hectares in Loiben

Pichler-Krutzler operates a vineyard spanning approximately 13 hectares based in Oberloiben, located just outside Dürnstein in the Wachau region. By most standards, it is a relatively small operation, and the vineyard is not concentrated in a single plot but is scattered across several named plots.

Frequently mentioned vineyard names include Klostersatz, Supperin, In der Wand, Loibenberg, Rothenberg, Kellerberg, and Pfaffenberg. Loibenberg and Kellerberg are among the best-known vineyards in the Loiben basin. Pfaffenberg is located directly above the Rothenhof wine cellar, giving this estate a particularly well-organized layout.

The estate practices organic farming and explains that it cultivates its vineyards sustainably by making individual decisions for each plot rather than following a single, uniform approach.

It is important to keep in mind how the broader Wachau region is organized. Approximately 650 growers share 1,350 hectares of land, which is divided into 124 individual vineyards and 34 sub-plots, all supported by approximately 720 kilometers of dry stone walls. Without those stone walls, growing grapes on these slopes would have been impossible.

The terroir

In the Wachau region, four climatic factors are intertwined. Cold air descends from the densely forested Waldviertel to the north and flows down the adjacent valley toward the river. From the east, warm air from the Pannonian plain flows in. The influence of the continental climate becomes stronger the further west one goes. Furthermore, the Danube itself acts to trap heat in the winter and lower temperatures in the summer.

Beneath the terraced vineyards lie Gföhler gneisses (orthogneisses) and paragneisses, crystalline primary rocks that were once igneous and sedimentary rocks but were metamorphosed by heat and pressure deep within the Earth's crust. The Danube had to cut through this bedrock, and that is how this terrain was formed.

As you descend to the riverside plain, the soil characteristics change completely; it is sandy and well-drained.

This combination, the hard rock above and the sand below, is precisely what this winery capitalizes on. Pichler-Krutzler's stated goal is to produce wines that reflect the characteristics of the vineyard rather than the winery, and they candidly acknowledge that these wines are not meant for immediate enjoyment.

Two grapes

Pichler-Krutzler uses the same two varieties that make up Wachau:

• Grüner Veltliner: Cultivated in various sites, including Loibenberg, Kellerberg, and Supperin
• Riesling: Grown in sites that include Loibenberg and Pfaffenberg

When considering Wachau as a whole, Grüner Veltliner accounts for 57% of the cultivated area, while Riesling accounts for 17%. While Erich Krutzler's Blaufränkisch heritage of the South Burgenland region underpins the local winemaking philosophy, the Loiben vineyards are well-suited for white wine production.

The winemaking

To borrow this winery's own words, wine is not made, nor is it made up; rather, it is left to come into being naturally. Simply put, this means they adhere to the principle of minimal intervention and do not rely on sophisticated equipment.

Several distinctive characteristics emerge during the actual winemaking process in the cellar. These include the inclusion of a small amount of stems, brief skin contact, and the use of Burgundy oak barrels, employed in a restrained manner rather than as a signature style. Additionally, prolonged contact with the settled yeast lees after fermentation creates a rich texture even without the aid of oak.

Decisions are made on a vineyard-by-vineyard basis rather than following a set formula for the entire winery, and Krutzler has for many years maintained the position that the focus should be on acidity rather than sugar content and ripeness. As the climate gradually warms, this stance has become even more firmly established. Although state-of-the-art technology has been introduced at Rothenhof's winery, the fundamental philosophy behind winemaking remains unchanged.

The single-vineyard range

All Pichler-Krutzler products are named after their place of origin. Each year, this winery produces a variety of wines from the Loiben vineyard, with single-vineyard wines forming the core of its lineup.

The Riesling wines include the following:

• Loibenberg Riesling
• Kellerberg Riesling
• Pfaffenberg Alte Reben Riesling: Produced from old vines in the vineyard above the Rothenhof wine cellar

Grüner Veltliner is released as follows:

• Loibenberg Grüner Veltliner
• Supperin Grüner Veltliner
• Supergraf Grüner Veltliner

The two Loibenberg wines offer a valuable comparison. As two grape varieties grown on the same slope, the differences between them provide significant insight into the nature of wine.

These wines are not meant to be drunk immediately. The winery itself makes this clear, and their extended lees contact and robust acidity further support this.