Martin Nigl

Martin Nigl and his family cultivate some of the best locations in the Krems Valley. Together they run the winery, as well as the hotel and restaurant-part of the business. A passionate winemaker who produces pristine wines of the highest quality.

Winery

The winery is known for Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, characterised by freshness with mineral notes in the taste, and rich in finesse. The vines thrive on the terraced vineyards that make the landscape between Senftenberg and Krems a unique cultural landscape in Austria. Sauvignon Blanc and Muskateller complete the white grapes. Blauer Zweigelt and Merlot are cultivated in the lime-containing loess layers near to Krems, while Pinot Noir finds its optimal conditions in the steep mica schist of the Pfenningberg vineyard.

The family cultivate their vineyards sustainably and give the grapes and the wine time to mature. Experience and tradition lay the foundation for the quality, with the special soils and the climate of the Krems Valley providing the character. Viniculture has a long tradition in the Nigl family and since 1990, the family has dedicated itself entirely to the process of winemaking.

Martin Nigl has always been convinced that quality winegrowing was the future for Austria: "On our steep locations, you can only survive with top quality."

Following this reasoning, he began acquiring numerous terraced areas in the Senftenberg/Piri location, some of which had been abandoned for decades, recultivated them and planted with Riesling.

A milestone arrived with the 1988 Riesling from the Hochäcker vineyard when it was rated in the leading wines in a prestigious German-Austrian tasting competiton. This brought a completely unknown winery and wine growing area to the attention of wine lovers. The fame allowed expansion to continue, and in 1995 the family acquired parts of the Starhemberg winery, including a 12^th century reading court that the family now proclaim their “Weinhaus”. Since then, the vineyard locations of Pellingen and Kirchenberg, next to Hochäcker, form the heart of the winery. The Nigl family now continues the 800-year-old winemaking tradition of the house. In 1999 they added the Goldberg and Zwetl vineyards at Rehberg.

Since the turn of the century the family have restored a hotel with 12 guest rooms, picturesque at the foot of the Senftenberger Kirchenberg. It allows the family to share the experience of their wines with their guests in perfect setting, surrounded by the vines.

It also includes a restaurant now run by Bertram Nigl, a trained restauranteur, after he returned home after several years of travelling to take over the gastronomy business. 

The Kremstal region is located approximately 70 km northwest of Vienna in a side valley of the Danube. The narrow valley along the Krems river is one of the cooler winegrowing regions of Austria. But that is exactly what makes it so special and, from our point of view, optimal for producing high-quality wines. Characterised by the weathered primary rock soils and the microclimate of the Krems Valley, the Nigl wines receive their unmistakable taste. Terroir notes arrive in a variety of forms as well as stylistic elements of Veltliners and Rieslings, with a range of south facing vineyards covering 250 to 375 metres above sea level, and gradients up to 40 degrees providing optimal ripening conditions.

"The trick is to create a perfectly balanced wine, bringing everything from the vineyard unscathed to the bottle: fruit, finesse, elegance, density and minerality."
Martin Nigl

The locations, as well as the strong temperature fluctuations at the time of maturity, give the wines their cool aromas. After hot summer days, the nights that follow bring coolness of the surrounding Waldviertel and thus promoting the aromas. The grape harvest often lasts for many weeks (up to 2 months) including several passes in each vineyard, to ensure that only the ripest grapes are harvested. In this way they can guarantee the highest possible quality of their wines, worthy of their membership of "Österreichische Traditionsweingüter”.