The right way to successfully lead a small family winery into the modern age without throwing tradition and reverence for the precious land they work into disarray is seldom so impressively demonstrated as by Christine and Stefan, son Stefan David and Stefan’s brother Georg Wellanschitz. Since taking over from their parents and grandparents, they have prudently expanded the winery while embracing a philosophy based on letting the precious mica-schist, granite gneiss, barren limestone soils, and clay do the work of shaping the wine.

This clear commitment to organic farming and moderate intervention in the cellar are defining features of the Wellanschitz wines, above all their Blaufränkisch range, with this grape variety taking up 80% of the estate’s cultivated area.

The family’s vineyards in Neckenmarkt are located in the Alpine foothills, on the Ödenburg Mountains, close to the border with Hungary. The comparatively high-altitude vineyards (up to 480 metres above sea level) are situated on schist, gneiss and limestone, enabling the development of complex wines.

The Wellanschitz winery has gained international renown for its single-vineyard Blaufränkisch from Hochberg, Sonnensteig, Hussi and Alter Weingebirge, and the Rüsselgrund site guarantees perfectly ripe Cabernet Sauvignon that belongs to the best produced in the whole of Austria. The Cuvée Fraternitas is a celebration of the teamwork of the Wellanschitz brothers Stefan Paul and Georg.