Familie Pitnauer

The winery is located in the municipality of Göttlesbrunn in the Carnuntum wine-growing region of Lower Austria. The name of the family from Stixneusiedl (then "Pittenauer's") was first mentioned in the 17th century. Viticulture has been practised by the family for several generations. The business was taken over by Hans Pitnauer in 1987 and built up with his wife Edith. He is considered a red wine pioneer and was instrumental in founding the Carnuntum winegrowing region. After training as a cellar master at the Klosterneuburger Weinbauschule, son Johannes Pitnauer-Wolfram gained experience in various wineries and has been running the business since 2018. He studied oenology at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Wien.

The vineyards cover 22 hectares of vineyards on gentle slopes in the surrounding Arbesthaler Hügelland around Göttlesbrunn in the Bärnreiser, Bilderspitz, Hagelsberg and Neuberg vineyards. 80% of the vineyards are planted with the red wine varieties Zweigelt (50% of the area), St. Laurent, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah (planted by the winery for the first time in Austria) and Merlot, and 20% with the white wine varieties Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc and Gelber Muskateller. The vineyards are cultivated in an environmentally friendly way without the use of insecticides and herbicides. Only physiologically ripe and healthy grapes are harvested by hand. Depending on the type of wine, the wines are matured in stainless steel tanks, in large wooden bar rels or in barriques.

The product range includes white wines and branded site and vintage red wines. The flagship of the house is the red wine cuvée "Franz Joseph" (Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt) named after grandfather Franz and great-grandfather Josef, whose label is designed as a hologram. Other premium wines are the single-varietal red wines "Bienenfresser" (Zweigelt), "Pegasos" (Syrah) and "Quo Vadis" (Merlot). Bottle-fermented sparkling wine and a brandy aged for 15 years in barriques are also produced. The winery is a member of Rubin Carnuntum Weingüter and Traditionsweingüter Österreich.