Weingut Künstler

The Künstler estate winery has been a family-owned business since 1648. Until the end of World War II, the Künstler family ran its winery in Untertannowitz, a village 80 km north of the Austrian capital of Vienna, in South Moravia, which, these days, is part of the Czech Republic. After expropriation and expulsion from his homeland, Franz Künstler re-established his winery in Hochheim, Germany in 1965. Due to his philosophy of uncompromising quality, he did not have to wait long for success to arrive: his wines immediately started to receive praise at numerous wine tastings and were awarded a number of prizes. In 1992 the estate winery was passed on to his son Gunter.

The estate winery was originally set up in the family home where, due to healthy growth, it has expanded steadily. In 2006 its operational basis became the Art Nouveau villa that used to house Burgeff, the most eminent German producers of sparkling wine in previous times.

Aiming to provide ideal conditions for producing top-quality wines and to look after his customers in the best way possible, Gunter Künstler improved the wine cellars, the vineyard operations, the Vinothek wine shop and the function rooms. The current premises not only offer a unique, authentic ambiance but also sufficient space for the wine-making facilities and for our customers whom we are very happy to welcome to our wine shop and our function rooms.

Site and soil: "Hölle" is derived from the Middle High German word "Halde(a) = steep hill". This southern vineyard with a fifteen degree gradient is located east of the old town of Hochheim sloping down to the River Main. The clay marl soil is made up of the finest clay particles and ample amounts of lime; it is a mineral six-pack. Due to the subsequent layers of loose brown loess loam, the vines receive abundant water and air to thrive.

Character: The wines boast a mineral and racy acidity coupled with a pleasant interplay of fruitiness and spiciness. When young, they are a bit of a wall flower. They do, however, have an enormous ageing potential; as they mature, they open up and show vigor as well as a delicate mineral acidity. This is a vineyard that produces wines with enormous power and minerality, which together create a synergy of aromas on the palate.

In order to make our wines, we use the latest technical equipment without, however, solely relying on technology: winemaking requires above all knowledge that has been passed on from one generation to the next, and a great sensitivity for wine. It is not analytical values that determine the quality but the taste of the grapes, the aroma of the musts and, above all, the harmony of the wines.

There needs to be a harmonious balance between residual sugar, alcohol and acidity. We strive to create wines with an enormous aging potential. Ultimately, we want the fruitiness of the grapes and the character of each vineyard to shine through in the glass.
Our Riesling grapes are destalked, cooled and put directly into the wine press where they are gently crushed. By cooling down the grape mash we ensure its microbiological stability. When it comes to varieties such as the Chardonnay and the Sauvignon Blanc grape, we let the mash stand for a while so that it can develop its characteristics aromas.

White wines

Subsequently, the white wine musts are pre-clarified for around 48 hours through sedimentation, i.e. the settling of solids. Afterwards, depending on their origin and quality level, they are poured into stainless steel vats or into traditional large wooden barrels where they ferment slowly, in a controlled fashion and, if particularly clear aromas are aimed for, at low temperatures.

Depending on the vintage and the quality of the grapes, we use cultured yeast for fermentation or wild yeast for spontaneous fermentation. After fermentation, which takes between six and eight weeks, the wines are removed from the gross lees and continue to be stored on the fine lees until the filling starts. In France, this process is called "sur lie". This method ensures that our wines turn out to be particularly extract-rich, terroir-driven and full of life.

Red wines

When it comes to producing red wines, we rely on the traditional fermentation of the grape mash, which is regularly punched down in order to extract as much color and as many aromas from the skin as possible. During this process we remove the pips from the containers to avoid overly powerful tannin notes. After fermentation and the subsequent crushing of the grape juice, the wines lose some of their biological acidity whilst they are stored in large 1,200-litre vats or in barrique-style barrels that accommodate 225 liters. There, the red wines mature for around twelve months. 

After the barrel-based maturing process has come to an end, the wines continue to mature in bottles for another year before they are sold. For our red wines we use a basket press that is more than 60 years old and has been fully restored. Hence, even in the early stages, our young red wines boast much greater levels of brilliance and clarity.