Josef & Georg Högl

The family winery is located in the municipality of Viessling (Spitz a. D.) in the Spitzer Graben in the Lower Austrian wine-growing region of Wachau. In the 1960s, the mixed farming started to shift towards viticulture. Today, the farm is run by Josef Högl and his son Georg. In 2015, an extension with two tasting rooms was completed, which was awarded the Austrian State Prize for Architecture and the Lower Austrian Wood Construction Prize. The mostly terraced vineyards cover around ten hectares of vineyards in the Bruck, 1000-Eimerberg, Kaiserberg and Schön vineyards. They are planted with the white wine varieties Grüner Veltliner (60%) and Riesling (35%), some of which are over 50 years old, as well as smaller stocks of Chardonnay, Gelber Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc and Frühroter Veltliner. The vineyards are cultivated according to the rules and ideas of organic viticulture with appropriate soil management aimed at healthy plants and sustainability. This includes, among other things, the cover crop of the marginal zones to prevent erosion. The selective hand harvest takes place in up to three rounds.

Vinification is carried out according to the requirements set by the grape material using non-invasive principles with as little intervention as possible (as much as necessary, as little as possible). This includes short skin contact, warm fermentation and yeast contact. The majority of the Federspiele and Smaragde wines are aged in stainless steel tanks in order to reflect the finesse and filigree of the wines as precisely as possible. For the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay Reserve, on the other hand, 500-litre wooden barrels are used. The premium wines of the house include the four Grüner Veltliner wines Ried Schön, Ried 1000-Eimerberg, Ried Kaiserberg and Ried Schön Alte Parzelle, as well as the three Riesling wines Vision, Ried Bruck and Ried Bruck Alte Parzellen (all Vinea quality level Smaragd). In years with suitable weather conditions, Trockenbeerenauslese and ice wines are also produced. Distillates from very old apricot varieties and apricot jam are also produced. The winery is a member of the Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus winegrowers' association.