Weingut Prager

The Prager-Bodenstein winery is located in Weißenkirchen in the Lower Austrian wine-growing region of Wachau. The family has been growing grapes for many generations. The estate, which belonged to the Michaelbeuern monastery at the time, was first mentioned in 1302 as "Haus am Chling". In a letter of inheritance from 1715, which is kept in the family archives, three vineyards are mentioned in the vineyards Hinter der Burg, Leber and Ritzling, which are still owned by the family today. Franz Prager (1925-2019) is considered a winegrowing pioneer and was the first chairman of the Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus winegrowers' association from 1983 to 1988 and played a decisive role in shaping the winegrowing fortunes of the Wachau. His son-in-law Toni Bodenstein and his wife Ilse have been responsible for the business since the early 1990s. The company motto is: "The wine must be a reflection of the site". In this context, Toni Bodenstein is also referred to as the "terroirist of the Wachau".

The vineyards cover 15 hectares of vineyards, most of them on extreme terraces. They are located in the municipalities of Dürnstein ( Hollerin, Kaiserberg, Liebenberg vineyards) and Weißenkirchen ( Achleiten, Hinter der Burg, Klaus, Steinriegl, Weitenberg, Zwerithaler vineyards). They are exclusively planted with the white wine varieties Riesling (70%) and Grüner Veltliner (30%). The premium wines include Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein, as well as Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten from very old vines. The work in the vineyard and cellar is done in the traditional way. Essential quality criteria are working with autochthonous yeast and not using enzymes. Fermentation and ageing take place in stainless steel tanks. The bottles are sealed exclusively with natural corks. The winery is a member of Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus