Taste and Tour Small Organic Wineries with a Winemaker
Description
As a vineyard owner, winemaker, and a student of viticulture I can offer guests my unique experience and education. I will be able to show them up close and with hands-on experience what it takes to make wine from the soil to the bottling process. In addition, I am very close with the wine-making community in Krems which affords me the opportunity to create curated experiences for my guests. Lastly, in my 25-year career at IBM, I worked with colleagues and partners from more than 50 countries around the world, I have international experience with people of all types of backgrounds and cultures.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Donau River will guide us during our tour of the wine region. About 2.5 hours will be on the tour and 30 minutes will be spent driving between the different locations.
We will drive up from sea level about 400 meters through a few wining roads to visit Kapitel Zwei Wine, a micro-winery in the region. Kapitel Zwei or “Chapter Two” is an experiment to organically and sustainably grow French grape varietals, including Chenin Blanc, Roussanne and Sémillon, and age them in amphora and steel tanks in Krems an der Donau, Austria. The grapes will be handpicked from a single vineyard or “ried” called Kremsleithen. It was abandoned decades ago and was replanted in May 2022. Kremsleithen is derived from the steep slope (“Leiten” in German) that runs down to the river Krems. It was first mentioned in records dating back to 1266 and is located at 300 meters above sea level and composed of loamy, sandy soil and clay.
The winery Mantlerhof is situated in the municipality of Gedersdorf, close to the river Kamp right before it merges with the Danube. In the west one may see the lights of the city Krems, east one may glimpse the towers of Grafenegg. If you draw closer to the traditional winery you’ll arrive at the village center of Brunn im Felde. Amid this village lies a lovely pond, at the western side of this pond is an old manor with an early classicist facade. This old manor is called “Mantlerhof” a small family-owned winery with long history. Family Mantler worked the Mantlerhof for over 200 years and roots its winemaking heritage back to 1365. We work 15ha of vineyards, where they produce long-lasting organic wines. Their focus lies on Grüner Veltliner and Roter Veltliner
Ulrike Filp and Robert Bormuth, together their friends and family, are the people behind Weingut Feldtheorie. During their studies of natural sciences, they discovered a love for wine while on a trip to New Zealand. Once they finished their studies they knew: that winemaking would be the focus of their lives going forward. They traveled abroad for internships in Germany, Australia, and Austria before finally settling in Wachau. Once the opportunity arose to buy their own parcels of vineyards in neighboring Kamptal they didn’t hesitate. Together they work in the cellar and vineyards trying to achieve one goal: passing on the uniqueness of the Kamptal through our wines to everyone.
We will visit the sparkling winery, WeinSchach. WeinSchach is convinced that nature has everything an extraordinary wine needs to offer. They believe that wine should then unfold freely in the bottle. Develop its full aroma and find its balance. The goal is a Pet Nat on equal footing with the great sparkling wines of this world. To achieve this, they are experimenting. They want to get to the bottom of possibilities. Even if that sometimes means - back to the start. They are convinced that these experiences result in great wines. And the logical consequence is that they work biologically in the production of their sparkling wines, harvested by hand and de gorged.
We will finish the tour with a short 7-10 minute walk through some vineyards to a viewing point looking over the region.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please note: the agenda is curated to your wine interests and tastes. Also the timing is flexible for when and where we meet. If you are staying in Vienna you can take a direct train to Krems (which is a lovely ride along the Donau River) and I can meet you at the train station. Another option is to arrive in Krems via boat from Vienna and I can meet you at the boat station. If these options aren't suitable we can coordinate a location to meet.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Some hiking will be required.
- Not recommended for travelers who can't walk down into a cellar
- Not recommended for travelers who don't enjoy small rooms
Reviews(23)
In my opinion this is a must do when visiting this area. These wine makers are passionate about making the wine and creating a sustainable environment, this experience is not to be missed.
Such a fantastic experience with Chris, what a guy! We really enjoyed our time with him, had great conversations, and learned a lot of stuff about the region and its wine scene. Being a bit new to the wine world, I never felt out of place and learned a bunch of stuff that I'll keep in my back pocket for sure. The whole experience was curated to our taste beforehand following some little messages exchanged with Chris, and he came and get us directly at our door the day of the event. The whole thing was super professional and was very well adapted to our style. Thanks to Chris, we tasted some great wines, met nice people, and saw places we would've never seen in Wachau otherwise. Seeing smaller producers felt so important and fun, what a privilege to have seen this! This is one of the highlight of our entire trip in the valley. Thanks so much again, and see you soon maybe in Wachau or Québec! :)
Ohh la la Québec. I may indeed visit you first before you are back in Austria. Unless of course we can convince you to work a little for the harvest and not holiday here. Was a pleasure to meet you. À la prochaine.
This is a must do experience! We had the best time and the wine was exceptional.
You were great guests! Now you need to come back for harvest!
Outstanding experience! Wife and I learned a lot and came away with a newfound appreciation of / enthusiasm for Austrian wines. Highly recommended!!
Very much appreciated your enthusiasm. Next time, come back for harvest. 😉
Chris is an amazing guide! Not only is he extremely knowledgeable in the wine making process but also knows everything about the history of the region. Kapital Zwei wines are delicious as well…highly recommend, you won’t regret it.
Glad you enjoyed it. Come back for harvest!
We left for this tour from Vienna. We did have to figure out how to get from our ship to the pick up point which was near the Schönbrunn Palace. After that, the tour was amazing. At the first stop, it was a small winery, and we tasted several wines from the beginning of the fermentation process to the finished product. It was very educational. The Venner’s were really nice and accommodating in the wines or explained in their uniqueness. This was well worthwhile.
Glad you enjoyed it. I hope you can join for harvest in the future : )
If you want an experience that is wine-forward but wrapped in history, countryside and local, small production vineyards, this it it for you! You’ll read other reviews about how great Chris is as your guide throughout the experience, and it is all true. Knowledgeable, personable and focused in the future of wine making and sustainability… it was fascinating. And to walk on Chris’s vineyard was amazing and frankly the best views on our Vienna trip.
You are too kind. It was a pleasure to host you on the tour. I hope to taste the wine from your children in the future and maybe put you all to work for the next harvest. : )
Thanks to the Kapital Zwei Wine tour, the many questions I had about the making of wine, from the vineyard to the bottled wine and the industry were answered. Our tour host was expertly knowledgeable and fun to be with. This was our best tour experience during our travel.
And the tour loved you! Your questions and enthusiasm were appreciated by all. I look forward to crossing paths with you again over another glass of wine.
Chris took us on a trip to visit 2 boutique wineries in the wine-growing region near Vienna. It was a pure delight. We were greeted by the winery owner at each place and given a description of their wine-making craft and intent. We were then served tastings of many of their products while they told us about themselves, their winery and the wine we were tasting. Chris, himself, owns/rents several small vineyards in the area and is actively engaged in making wine himself. We walked some of his vineyards and he told us of the history of wine-making in the area and the recent/current state of the industry there. Overall very enjoyable and a unique, small group experience.
Thanks for your kind words. I hope life affords us the chance to meet again and pop open a bottle or two.
Can’t recommend this tour enough - we had the best experience! Chris was an amazing guide and catered the tour to our level of experience (which was low) and wine preferences. The wineries we visited were stunning and Chris’s winemaker friends were lovely hosts. We tried MANY different local wines and loved them - we will definitely be looking for more Austrian wines back in the states!
Thanks a million. You are now experts and unofficial Austrian wine ambassadors! I hope we cross paths again.
