Vineyard Size: 7 hectares
Total Production: 42,000 bottles
Farming: Certified Organic
Certification: AT BIO 301 (Austria BIO)
Grapes Planted (White): Grüner-Veltliner

In 2006, Ewald's dad was given the opportunity to start a new project at the 1200+ year old Schloss Maissau . There was another castle on the site prior to this iteration since around 820AD. The castle shown on the label was built in the 1300s, and has been in the same family's care since the 1540s!

Herr Ernst Traun, the castle's current caretaker was happy to hand over the vines to the Grubers to farm and to make wine. He had noticed the wines had fallen into a state of dulldrum, the vines were being industrially farmed and the vineyards were almost barren. The task fell to the Grubers to bring it back to life. They started by switching over to organic viticulture, then waited for 7 years for any trace of chemical to filter out of the ground. In 2013, they were finally able to file for organic certification and received it in 2016. Their four single vineyards are 100% Grüner Veltliner and total a whopping 7 acres.

Utilizing the grounds of a 13th century castle, the Schloss Maissau, the Gruber family was able to restore these historic plots to their former glory. Ewald Gruber continued the family tradition of organic farming here. He was able to get the vineyard certified organic, his wine being the first from this part of the Weinviertel. These wines are textbook definitions of this variety from the cold windswept plains of Northern Austria, at a great BTG price point.

The wines of Schloss Maissau reflect the uniqueness of Austria’s most typical variety through the combination of optimal geological and micro-climatic conditions on the Manhartsberg, which is mainly built up of granite bedrock soil. Through selection of the healthiest and ripest grapes from its south-east facing slopes exceptional wines are produced which by far excel the classic attributes of a good Grüner Veltliner and really represent their origin. The crisp and fruity Weinviertel DAC with its distinctive flavor is a village-wine made from different sites around Maissau. The 4 single vineyard Veltliners are vinified from the “Grand Crus” Steinwandl, Quittengang, Neuberg-Schanz and Juliusberg.

In German schloss means castle, and Maissau is the name of the village it is situated. Aptly named! This is one of the coldest wine producing parts of Austria with no protection from the cold wind sweeping down from the North Sea over Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic. The Czech border is just 20 miles away to the north.