Weninger

Since 35 years we concentrate on Blaufränkisch, we work on six Blaufränkisch vineyards in three areas. From clay to slate, schist and lime. Very early we realized that the character of a vineyard can only be felt on a healthy living soil. Our oldest vines are 80 years old. In the way we treat our vines with respect, we also treat our soils and people.

Franz Reinhard Weninger, born in 1979, grew up on his parents’ wine estate in central Burgenland. Only a few kilometres from the lake, close enough to the wine. In Horitschon he not only learned the art of making wine from his father, but in doing so also discovered his great passion. After graduating from enology school in Klosterneuburg, he did some internships abroad. In 2000, having come closer to wine, he sought the geographic proximity and took over as enological and organizational director of the Balf estate near Sopron. Since 2011 he is in charge of the Austrian estate. 

Franz Ludwig Weninger had known his parent’s small estate for thirty years when he took over operations in 1982. It was only seven hectares, but the very first year, in 1983, he managed to produce the internationally recognized Blaufränkisch Kabinett. It was a very promising beginning, followed by the expansion of the estate to its current size (28 hectares) combined with a further increase in quality. For years he has been ranked among the top national and international winemakers. The former family-run operation has grown in size, but the family has remained an important part of the estate: as co-workers involved in the day-to-day organization and administration, as namesakes for prize-winning wines, or as a new generation of winemaker who brings with him challenging ideas and his own wine experience. 

The vineyard is a place to commune with the natural world. As individual winemakers are unique, so are our gardens and vines. Quality in the wine can only emerge from the vineyard, thus making biodynamic farming a logical step. Since 2006, all our acreages are certified organic.

At Weingut Weninger, all vineyard work is adapted to the plant with respect to the rhythm of the seasons and the moon.  Protecting the natural balance in the vineyard, with the aid of biodynamic preparations and the use of homeopathic tea, enables us to harvest healthy and vibrant grapes. 

We protect and encourage a diverse biosphere in the land surrounding our vineyards as this stewardship is important for the cultivation of fine wine, and for the future generations of our children. All of our vineyards contain nesting boxes for birds, and we maintain the natural habitat for beneficial insects. In 2006, 40 trees were planted around our vineyards.

In addition to the grapes, in recent years also other products were availed from our agriculture and brought to market under the name "mehr vom weninger" ("more of Weninger").