“Our wines tell the story of our homeland, the soil, the weather and the labour of an entire year. Honest and unadulterated, they reflect their provenance and touch our hearts anew, year after year.” — Maria & Josef Maier.
History
The history of the old estate began almost 800 years ago, in the little village of Oberfucha in Kremstal, Lower Austria. Here, winemaking has been part of the family’s life for more than 14 generations, an occupation deeply rooted in the landscape. Today, as well as in the past, arable land, hedgerows, cattle, pigs, chickens and bees complete their idea of holistic farming. Vineyards cover 19 hectares in Kremstal with plots in Gaisberg, Golberg, Hoher Rain, Johannisberg, Kirchensteig, Sprinzenberg and Steinleithn. The winery strongly advocates diversity over monoculture, with the belief that their vines are a smaller part of a larger whole.
Organic Viticulture
Only by giving nature a place in and around the vineyard are they able to receive back the best nature has to offer. Since 1988, the 23 hectares of vines and 27 hectares of arable land have been farmed according to organic principles. They have been members of Demet since 2019, which gives expression to their mindset.
Over 13% of their land consists of hedges and nature conservation areas. Diverse cover crops with numerous wild herbs offer an additional habitat for a multitude of insects in their vineyards. The ecological interplay renders the use of insecticides unnecessary, reinforces the resilience of the vines and promotes healthy soil life.
Manual Labour
The Geyerhof team spends over 5000 hours pruning, trellising and working on the rootstocks and canopies each year. They only hand-harvest with an emphasis on organic viticulture.
The courage to harvest late is rewarded year after year with phenolically fully ripe fruit, which in combination with low yields, lends the wines complexity, concentration and depth.
Cellar
In the cellar, Geyerhof’s main goal is to safeguard the level of quality created in the vineyard and to maintain the individuality of the wines through a purposeful “low-intervention” approach. Staying well clear of “magical” enzymes, fining agents and specially cultured yeasts, they try to make do with the absolute minimum of interventions and technology. The hygienic advantages of modern cellar technology in the form of stainless steel tanks, steam cleaners and renewable energy from solar panels are of course part of the winery’s modern approach – giving birth to wines with individuality and longevity.
Their Style of Wine
Ostentatious, loud and opulent wines have never been our thing. The quality of Geyerhof wines lies in their individuality and longevity. In times of regulations, laws and market pressure, they can and should reflect the characteristics of the soil, the grape variety and the vintage. Sometimes rough and complex, at other times light and carefree: as variable as the years, life and people themselves.
