Christina Wess is a young, passionate woman with a great sensitivity for special vineyards. She was undoubtedly born with this quality, as her father, Rainer Wess, has always been a passionate fan of wines with an exceptional character of provenance. Over the past two decades, the winemaker has gradually built up a brilliant collection of exciting vineyard sites. The daughter-father team cultivates a total of eight hectares in the best sites in and around Krems, such as the Pfaffenberg, the Kögl and the Weinzierlberg.
As is typical in the Kremstal, their vineyards are mainly planted with Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. They try to reduce their own influence as much as possible and instead give the characteristics of the vineyards plenty of room. "The vineyards in the Kremstal and Wachau, the barren terraces, the steep slopes, the dry conditions: that's our capital," enthuses Christina. "Our task is to bring the expressive nuances into the bottle as purely as possible, so that you can immediately recognise the differences when you smell them."
In the vineyards, Christina and Rainer Wess work with organic certification, and they are also a well-coordinated duo in the cellar. "Sometimes she's the cellar master and I'm the assistant - and then we swap roles again," laughs Rainer Wess. "My daughter is a graduate of the Klosterneuburg School of Viticulture and spent most of her apprenticeship and traveling years in Burgundy. There she also learned to understand my enthusiasm for Pinot Noir. Grüner Veltliner is our tradition, Riesling is our intellectual challenge and Pinot is our great love."
A new chapter has now been opened in the young history of the winery. "Christina and Rainer Wess" is written on the labels of the wines. They are initially Grüner Veltliner and Riesling with the Kremstal DAC provenance. The single-vineyard wines are allowed to mature a little longer, and the Pinot is also still in the barrel. Unterloiben 6, a village in the Wachau, is the address on the labels of the wines that grow in the Kremstal. Christina and Rainer have moved into Unterloiben after their previous cellar remained with their ex-partner. So the Wess family will continue to juggle.
Route
