A special part of Austrian wine culture has lived in the city centre of Krems an der Donau since 1452: the Stadt Krems winery. Historically, it originated from two sources: on the one hand from the possessions of the so-called "Bürgerspitalstiftung" - the Babenberg Duke Leopold VI founded a citizens' hospital in Krems in 1210 and made significant donations to it, including vineyards - and on the other hand from generous legacies from the imperial Burgrave of Krems, Ulrich von Dachsberg, who donated vineyards to the town as early as 1452. This makes Weingut Stadt Krems, with its more than 550-year history, one of the oldest wine producers in Austria and Europe.
Since 2003, the winery has been run by Fritz Miesbauer, who, together with a young, ambitious team, has developed the fundamentally likeable but somewhat stagnant winery into a model business. In 2020, Fritz Miesbauer was awarded the title "Winemaker of the Year" by Falstaff. As a member of the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (ÖTW - Austrian Traditional Wine Estates), the winery has the privilege of cultivating Austria's most important vineyards. The 40 hectares of vineyards within the city limits include historic sites such as Ried Weinzierlberg, Ried Schreck, Ried Wachtberg and Ried Grillenparz. These historic vineyards in Stein and Krems are cultivated with meticulousness, sensitivity and the necessary relaxed approach. This results in individualistic wines full of character. The uniqueness of the vineyards can only be preserved through careful processing of the grapes and minimalist vinification. From the calcareous gravel conglomerate in the Grillenparz vineyard, the slate amphibolite of the Schreck vineyard and the loess terraces to the gneiss of the Wachtberg vineyard and the barren gravel and gneiss subsoil of the Weinzierlberg vineyard: the vineyards are as diverse as the estate's wines.
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