Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg

The winery Schloss Gobelsburg is located in the Lower Austrian wine growing region Kamptal. The history of the winery is closely linked to the Cistercian monastery of Zwettl, which was founded in 1138 by the Kuenringer Hadmar I. (+1138) was founded in 1138. In 1171 the then owner of Gobelsburg Castle provided the Cistercian monks from Burgundy with a farm with vineyards that are still cultivated today. After the monastery's vineyard holdings had expanded over the centuries to the south of Vienna, it became necessary to create a central point of contact for the monastery's wine activities. For this reason, the castle was purchased by the monastery in 1740 and the monastery's central cellar was built in it. From 1958 onwards, Father Bertrand Baumann, later Abbot of Zwettl, managed the winery and made the "Gobelsburg Mass Wine" a well-known brand. Since 1996 the winery and castle have been managed by Eva and Michael Moosbrugger with the participation of the winemaker Willi Bründlmayer.

The vineyards cover 75 hectares of vineyards in the Heiligenstein, Gaisberg, Grub, Lamm, Renner and Steinsetz areas, which are characterised by different soil and microclimatic conditions. They are planted to 75% with the white wine varieties Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, and 25% with the red wine varieties Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, St. Laurent and Merlot. The best sites are cultivated according to sustainable principles. In 2015, the certificate "Sustainably produced wine from Austria" (according to the specifications of the Austrian Wine Growers' Association) was issued. Already the monks of Zwettl Abbey used only organic fertiliser, refrained from using weedkillers(herbicides) and practised a reduced use of plant protection products.

An innovative technology in winemaking is called "Dynamic Cellar Concept". To avoid pumping, the wines are transported in "barrels on wheels". Depending on the style, they are fermented in steel tanks or wooden barrels. Maturation takes place in large or small oak barrels, which are made exclusively from oak wood from the nearby Manhartsberg. The "Tradition" line shows the personality that the Grüner Veltliner and Riesling varieties can develop with the aging philosophy of the mid 19th century. For the first time with the 2001 vintage, an attempt was made in this respect to reapply the old traditional practices.

The premium products include various area, local and vineyard wines (Grüner Veltliner and Riesling). A measuring wine (Grüner Veltliner) and bottle-fermented sparkling wine are also produced. About 200,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. The winery is a member of the Winzergemeinschaft Traditionsweingüter Österreich, whose chairman Michael Moosbrugger has acted as chairman since 2008.