Winery F.X. Pichler

"Every vineyard is the basis for authenticity."

Johanna and Franz Pichler

The winery F.X. Pichler in the Wachau is now run by the seventh generation of Lucas Franz Pichler and his wife Johanna Elisabeth. The parents' generation, Franz Xaver and Rudolfine Pichler, is still active.

The Pichlers have a good 20 hectares in top vineyards (Austrian for "Lagen"). These are located in the immediate vicinity of the winery in Loiben and Dürnstein. Slightly more than half of the area is planted with Grüner Veltliner, the other half with Riesling. In addition, there is a small amount of Gelber Muskateller and a little Sauvignon Blanc. About 35% of the vines grow on the steep primary rock terraces, which can only be worked by hand - a Wachau cultural asset whose intensive care goes back many centuries.

"Our philosophy is to make the most of the outstanding potential that nature gives us." In contrast to the usual practice at the time, F.X. Pichler had already started bottling much more substantial and high-quality wines from Riesling as well as Grüner Veltliner in the 1980s. His father was already considered a "quality fanatic" and kept books in order to eventually multiply the genetic material of the best Grüner Veltliners for new plantings.

The vinification at F.X. Pichler is carried out with the claim of as little intervention as possible. The use of animal products was and is excluded, all wines are thus vegan. In recent years, the winery has switched to organic farming. 2022 is the first certified organic vintage. With this conversion, the wines will also be tighter.