The winery is located in the municipality of Kapfenstein in the wine-growing region of Vulkanland Steiermark (Austria) near the border with Slovenia. Since 1981, it has been run by the third generation of the family, Georg Winkler-Hermaden, who graduated as a master winemaker in 1986 at Silberberg. The castle on the Kapfensteiner Kogel, which was already mentioned in a document in 1065, is part of the family's property. One attraction is the 350-year-old "Long Cellar" with a length of 60 metres, which was renovated until 1997. Here the red wines mature in barriques and seminars, tastings and cultural events take place. The wines are vinified in the "Löwenkeller" (Lion Cellar), which is over 200 years old and has been hewn out of the mountain. The complementary "Drachenkeller" is an annex built in 1999.
The vineyards cover 40 hectares, which since 2004 have also included the leased vineyards of the Stürgkh estate in Klöch. The outstanding sites are Hinteregg, Kirchleiten, Lidlberg, Rosenleiten, Schlosskogel and Winzerkogel (Kapfenstein), as well as Hochwarth and Ölberg (Klöch). Half of the vineyards are planted with the red wine varieties Blauer Zweigelt, Merlot, Pinot Noir, St. Laur ent, Cabernet Sauvignon and Roesler, and half with the white wine varieties Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Welschriesling, Pinot Blanc, Morillon, Pinot Gris, Traminer, Riesling and Muscaris. The vineyards are cultivated organically according to certified rules. This includes humus fertilisation, year-round cover crop with sowing of legumes and mulching several times a year.
Depending on the type of wine, the wines are matured in stainless steel tanks, in large wooden barrels or in barriques. Barrique barrels have been used since 1986. They are made from our own forest stock. The wines are produced in the lines Ortsweine, Steirische Klassik STK, Erste STK Lage and Grosse STK Lage. The flagship is the red wine "Olivin" (Zweigelt), aged for 24 months in barriques and named after an olive-green crystal rock found on the Kapfensteiner Kogel. Around 180,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. Fine spirits (fruit, marc), bottle-fermented sparkling wines and vinegar are also produced. The winery is a member of the Steirische Terroir & Klassikweingüter winegrowers' association.
