As can be proven wine has been made in the house of the family
Schmelz for 5 generations.
In the beginning, wine making was for the present owners, Johann and Monika
Schmelz, an avocation and continuously expanded. Now their son Thomas is also fully
engaged in the business.
At present time the family manages 10 ha of vineyards in the Wachau area which are located between the Danube villages of Woesendorf and Unter-Loiben a distance of 6 km.
The Production
We produce 60.000 bottles a year; a small amount of the grapes are bought from neighboring vintners.
The Climate and Soil
The micro-climate in the Wachau area - and the different geological soils provide the base for the nuances in the unique characters of the wines. From the the sandy primitive rocks (the Riesling loves this soil) to the loess and gravel soil, all play a big part in the terroir notes of wines.
The Grape Varietals
Our grapes varietals are 60% Grüner Veltliner, 30% Riesling. The rest is Chardonnay,
Sauvignon Blanc, Blauer Zweigelt and in the foreseeable future Gelber Muskateller.
The Locations
Our vineyard sites are at
STEIN AM RAIN, PICHL POINT, STEINRIEGL, BUSCHENBERG AND DÜRNSTEINERFREIHEIT
The Quality
Our endeavour for quality begins every year with a rigorous pruning of the vine and a careful cutting of the leaves in the vineyard. We have also an irrigation system. We use only premium, mild, planet-protective agents and refrain, if it is at all possible, of any synthetic fertilizer. At harvest time we select only perfectly matured grapes for the wines.
The grapes are harvested carefully by hand, destemed and pressed with the utmost modern, pneumatic press to apply a very gentle pressure on the grapes. The grape-juice will then become de-slimed. The juice will be fermented with pure, cultured yeast in stainless stell tanks. A small amount of the Smaragd-wines mature in wooden barrels.
The Association
We are one of the founding fathers of VINE WACHAU, and thus are obliged to adhere to the guidelines in producing and promoting of the Wachauer wine making traditions as set forth in the chater. Because of our membership in VINEA, we are authorized to use the names STEINFEDER, FEDERSPIEL and SMARAGD for the different quality levels of the wines which are strictly controlled by association.
The Distribution
We sell our wines through wine-merchants, restaurants, distributors and importers as well as to private customers to whom we ship directly or who buy the wines at our winery here. We export to Holland, Switzerland, Germany and to the USA.
The Future
Our plans for the future are very simple: We try to make the best possible quality each year. To expand to a 10 ha vineyard size operation is our next goal. But foremost to us are repeat and satisfied customers.
The Awards
Our wines were awarded many times with prestigious recognitions and medals in different trade journals and at wine tasting for their outstanding quality.
Our wines were referred to as
| THE WINES WITH A CERTAIN |
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Photogallery
On the occasion of a selection ordered by the magazine US National Geographic Traveler the Wachau, the valley of the River Danube which is a marvelous natural and cultural landscape, has been selected by a professional committee among 109 villages to be the most beautiful place all over the world.
In the following gallery you can see photos of the Wachau made by Gregor Semrad during his last photo flight and also other impressive pictures.
Flight-photos of the Wachau
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