With 30 hectares of vineyards, the Grassl winery is no longer small, but it is small and manageable. The Grassls are straightforward people and like clear lines. Their concept: a focus on red wines, a clear range, a purist outward appearance, a functional cellar, labels without frills, no fashionable wines. What counts is quality. Grassl produces "earthy" wines in the best sense of the word, but at an international quality level.
The local varieties Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent are the most important, and they also make up at least 50 percent of all cuvées. Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah are merely intended to better accentuate the existing strengths of the Zweigelt. Instead of the previous 3,500 vines, there are now 5,000 to 6,000 vines per hectare in the vineyards. In the cellar, they work meticulously without intervention and treat the grapes as gently as possible so that their high quality can be bottled. White wines and classic red wines are fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks or in large wooden barrels. The premium red wines are fermented in wooden fermentation vats - with natural yeasts from the vineyard - and the mash cake is submerged by hand. The premium red wines, the cuvées "Bärnreiser" and "Schüttenberg", as well as the St. Laurent mature in small and large wood. A small proportion of the barrels are renewed each year in order to support the dark fruit aromas through the structure of the wood. 70 percent of the production are red wines, half of which are made from the leading variety Zweigelt. Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, a tradition and specialty of the winery, account for 35 percent. The remaining 15 percent is made up of Merlot and other international grape varieties.
Philipp Grassl was named "Falstaff Winemaker of the Year" in 2018, and he is also a regular winner at the Falstaff red wine awards - in fall 2020, he finally came out on top!
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