Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg, Kamptal, with Stefan Tabery - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours took place from Sunday, May 28 - Thursday, June 08, 2023. We toured Austria for 12 days, starting and ending in Vienna: Wien, Wagram, Carnuntum, Burgenland, Steiermark, Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental, Wien.

The last visit of a winery was Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg. We toured the winery ansd sat down for a tasting. Stefan Tabery was our host.

Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg is represented in the USA by Skurnik Wines.

Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg, Gobelsburg, Kamptal, Niederösterreich

Schloss Gobelsburg is a historic winery, owned by a Cistercian monastery and possessing wonderful old vineyards in the Kamptal region. It’s the oldest winery in the region, founded in 1171, and it was run by the monks themselves until 1995. 

In 1996 management and winemaking responsibilities were taken over by Michael and Eva Moosbrugger, together with Willi and Edwige Bründlmayer. In 2021 Schloss Gobelsburg celebrated its 850 th vintage and over the past 850 years Schloss Gobelsburg had a lasting impact on viticulture in Austria.

There are 125 acres under vines and a large number are vineyards in top premier cru sites such as the mineral-rich, crystalline slopes planted with Riesling Riesling Gaisberg and Heiligenstein and the deep loess slopes Renner, Grub, and Lamm planted with Grüner Veltliner. Sustainable viticulture has always been important. The monks began to farm organically already in 1958. 

Michael Moosbrugger developed the ‘Dynamic Cellar Concept’ for Gobelsburg in which wines are no longer pumped from one location to the other but instead transported in ‘barrels on wheels’ from one section of the cellar to the other. The winery is considered a specialist for Austrian quality sparkling wine as well as for "Cool Climate" red wines, based on Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, and Zweigelt. 

A small but fine speciality are their sweet wines. A trademark of the Schloss Gobelsburg winery is the ‘Tradition’ line of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. These wines are produced according to the meticulous
notes of the Cistercian monks over the past 150 years. 

In 2019 Schloss Gobelsburg was acknowledged as ‘one of the top 100 wineries of the year’ by the US Wine & Spirits Magazine.

Schloss Gobelsburg (49ha) - Skurnik Wines
Langenlois / Kamptal / Austria

The Zwettl Monastery was founded in 1074 and in 1171 the Monks of Zwettl were granted their first vineyards: Heiligenstein & Gaisberg–the oldest documented sites in the Kamptal. The estate and Castle Gobelsburg was controlled by as many as 19 different families between 1074 and 1740, and in 1786 absorbed the famous Kammern Winery and vineyards. Two hundred years later Eva and Michael Moosbrugger were granted the winemaking and viticultural contract in 1996, and with the help and guidance of Michael’s mentor Willi Bründlmayer, the winery has regained its prestige and considered to be a leader in quality and innovation. In 2006 Michael Moosbrugger was awarded as ‘WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR’ by the Austrian magazine Falstaff, the highest award given to an Austrian winemaker, and in 2009, 2010, and again in 2019 the estate was acknowledged as ‘ONE OF THE TOP 100 WINERIES OF THE YEAR’ by Wine & Spirits Magazine.

Schloss Gobelsburg maintains a large number of parcels in Erste Lagen, or 1st Growth, vineyards in the Kamptal, including the mineral-rich, crystalline slopes of the Gaisberg and Heiligenstein planted to Riesling, and the deep loess soils of Renner, Grub, and Lamm planted to Grüner Veltliner. The winery continues to utilize organic winegrowing and has benefited from the fact that the monks of Zwettl Monastery began these practices as early as 1958.

While many international cellars are attempting to produce clean, uniform wines, Moosbrugger is convinced that the future Gobelsburg lies in individuality and character. As a high level of technology is necessary to warrant uniformity, Moosbrugger believes that individuality can only be achieved through the reduction of machines. Moosbrugger developed the ‘Dynamic Cellar Concept’ for Gobelsburg in which wines are no longer pumped from one location to the other but instead transported in ‘barrels on wheels’ from one section of the cellar to the other.

A hallmark of the estate is the ‘Tradition’ bottlings of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Having read the meticulous notations of the Cistercians at the estate over the past 150 years, Michi pays homage in his role as cellar master, responsible for the ‘education’ of his ‘pupils’ –wine- while leading them through élevage; as opposed to acting as ‘winemaker,’ whose decisions in present day Austria are generally to preserve aromatics and fruit through extremely reductive methods.

• Vineyard area: 49 hectares
• Top sites:
  • Zobinger Heiligenstein: 250 million year old Permian desert sandstone with feldspar (volcanic) and siltstone
  • Zobinger Gaisberg: The eastern most end of the Gföhler Gneiss plate that runs under the Kamptal, soils are made up of slatey para-gneiss, mica-schist, and amphibolite (metamorphic rocks formed from intense heat and pressure)
  • Kammerner Lamm: Calcerous and loamy with underlying loess, the sites higher on the hill have most sandstone and silt from Heiligenstein erosion.
  • Kammerner Renner: Deep loess soils with eroded gneiss, mica and amphibolite from the Gaisberg vineyard above
• Soil Types: Volcanic sandstone, mica slate, and alpine gravel
• Grape varieties: 50% Grüner Veltliner, 25% Riesling, 8% Zweigelt, 5% Pinot Noir, 7% St. Laurent, 5% Merlot

Arriving

Sekt

Tour

Tasting

Bye-bye

Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - Published and Forthcoming Postings

ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North

Announcement: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023 

The Wines of Austria - Presentation by Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, at the 2021 American Wine Society National Conference in Atlantic City 

Wine Producer Austria - Not Only Gruener Veltliner

Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Schiller’s Favorite Spots to Drink Wine in Vienna, Austria

Dinner at an Iconic Beisl in Vienna: Griechenbeisl - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour of the Monastery/ Palace Klosterneuburg and of the Weingut Klosterneuburg, with Wine Tasting - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Wiener Schnitzel and Tafelspitz at Plachutta in der Wollzeile, Vienna. Plachutta is more than a Restaurant: it is a Vienna Institution - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

After Dinner Drinks at Vis-a-Vis Wine Bar, Vienna - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Vienna: Viaker City Tour and Tour of Schloss Schönbrunn - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Restaurant Die Seejungfrau in Jois at Lake Neusiedl - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Leo Hillinger, Burgenland, with Jakob Scharner, Diplom-Sommelier - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Weingut Netzl, Carnuntum, with Franz, Christine and Christina Netzl - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Restaurant Mole West at Lake Neusiedl - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Anita and Hans Nittnaus, Burgenland, with Anita, Hans and Martin Nittnaus - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Umathum, Burgenland, with Joseph Umathum - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours 

2 Nights at Schloss Halbturn at Lake Neusiedl: Sekt Reception and two Dinners - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Steindorfer, Burgenland, with Ernst and Roland Steindorfer - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours 

Light Lunch at Gránátos Étterem at Esterházy Kástely in Fertöd, Hungary: Hungarian Goulash Soup and Esterházy Cake - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

At the Liszt House in Raiding, where the Great Pianist, Romantic Composer and Conductor was Born - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Straka, Rechnitz, Burgenland, with Thomas Straka - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

High-end Sleeping and Eating in the Vineyard: Wohnothek am Ratschen and Restaurant am Ratschen (16/ 20 Gault Millau), Deutsch-Schützen - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Wachter-Wiesler, Burgenland, with Julia Wachter - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Weingut Jalits, Burgenland, with Mathias Jalits - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Neumeister, Straden, Vulkanland, Steiermark, with Christoph Neumeister - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner with a View at Weinrefugium Brolli, Steiermark - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Sattlerhof, Steiermark, with Justė Sattler - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wohlmuth, Steiermark, with Maria Wohlmuth - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

"Brettljause" and Wine at Buschenschank Trummer, Weingut Trummer, with Jürgen Trummer - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Polz, Strass, Südsteiermark, with Sommelier Philipp Heidenbauer - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours 

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Tement, Steiermark, with Sommelier Andy Bodor and Manfred and Heidi Tement - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

"Steierisches Backhendl"-Lunch at Weingut Tement/ Restaurant Magnothek, Südsteiermark - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Gustav Mahler, Sinfonie Nr. 3, at Graz Opera, Steiermark - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

In Eisenstadt, Burgenland: Tour at Haydn House, Lunch at Restaurant Henrici, Tour at Esterhazy Castle - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

At Loisium Wine & Spa Resort Langenlois, Kamptal: Impromptu Steininger Sekt Reception with Eva Steininger and Klaus Wittauer - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Wine-pairing Dinner at Heurigenhof Bründlmeyer (14.5/20 Points Gault Millau) - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Steininger, Kamptal, with Brigitta Steininger - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Jurtschitsch, Kamptal, with Alwin Jurtschitsch - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Austrian Beer and Wiener Schnitzel at Fiakerwirt in Langenlois - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Markus Huber, Traisental, with Markus Huber - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Walk and Tasting at Weingut Tegernseerhof, Wachau, with Owner/ Winemaker Martin Mittelbach - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Domäne Wachau, Dürnstein, Wachau - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Nigl with Martin Nigl and Wine-pairing Dinner at Restaurant Nigl (14/20 Points Gault Millau) with Chef Bertram Nigl, Senftenberg, Kremstal - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut F.X.Pichler, Wachau, with Lucas Pichler - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Matthias Hager, Kamptal, a Leader in Austria's Natural Wine Scene, with Doris Hager - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Gasthaus Gutmann, Zöbing, Kamptal - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg, Kamptal, with Stefan Tabery - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

2 Days in Dürnstein, Wachau, at Hotel Richard Löwenherz

Farewell Dinner at Café Central in Vienna