Fine wine—European fine wine, at least—owes much to monks: they were here, they lived here, they built here. But finding a winery where monks remain dedicated to something beyond communion wine is rare. Unique wineries like Schloss Gobelsburg in Austria’s Kamptal Valley are few and far between. Armed with this realization and a touch of monastic humility, I climbed into Michael Moosbrugger’s car, eager to uncover the achievements of this remarkable Austrian estate. There was much to discover.
I understand this all began long ago, in 1171, when the Cistercian monks of Zwettl Abbey (Stift Zwettl) were gifted the first vineyards in Lower Austria. In 1740, they acquired a castle, which today is leased and managed by Michael and Eva Moosbrugger. With or without divine intervention, the couple produces wines that transcend monastic modesty—Rieslings, Grüner Veltliners, Zweigelts, and more. Over a glass of Grüner Veltliner, Michael speaks calmly, without gesticulating or inquiring about your enjoyment. What a treat.
On relations with the monks
“Until 1995, the monks themselves managed the affairs of the estate. But they didn’t quite grasp where to go in the future. They didn’t want to sell the estate: after all, it’s an important part of the order’s culture. Technically, the estate is now leased to us, and we are independent. However, making any important decisions I always keep the interests of the monastery in mind. In this sense, the management model of the estate differs from the traditional structure of “family wineries”. I always remind myself that this matter concerns not just me. We have a saying in Austria: the first generation builds the business, the second continues it, the third sells it. In principle you can successfully build an estate within half of your life, especially if you are young and know how to make good wine. This can be done quite quickly.
And it’s great that Gobelsburg is part of the monastery because even if I can’t manage the estate anymore, or the estate goes bankrupt, banks won’t be able to seize neither the buildings nor the vineyards, at most — the wine and some equipment. The next day after my departure a new person will come, buy barrels and equipment and the business will go on. This is the only way to retain ownership of the estate for such a long time: in 2021 we celebrated 850 years. It’s very important for us to maintain relations with the monastery: every year the monks bless the wine of the new vintage. When restructuring the cellars I certainly consult with the owners; this concerns everything related to the symbolism of the cellars. I always try to keep them informed. Cistercian culture is very strong in everything related to architecture and symbols of faith. We look at things like sustainability over, say, a hundred years, not twenty. The monks never think in terms of generations; they think in terms of centuries, it’s a different scale. Undoubtedly, we are more conservative in our decisions.
On quality, trends and self-reflection
Winemaking has always been linked to societal trends. It’s a self-regulating system of sorts. Ultimately consumers determine whether we have made “quality” wine; they are the ones opening the bottles. Quality, in a sense, is linked to the success of wines in the market. Wine is like music: yes, you can enjoy Mozart or Tchaikovsky even if you know nothing about them. Even if you’re not an expert or a specialist, you can get pleasure from music. But the more you immerse yourself in knowledge, the more you realize what you’re drinking. I think enjoying wine can happen on very different levels and one should always take into account at what level people get their pleasure.
I see that I have a certain responsibility to Austria, so I never talk only about my estate; I always start talking about Austrian wines as a whole. Only if you have an understanding of the context of Austrian wines will you have an understanding of the wines of a specific estate. Half of my presentations are dedicated to Austrian wines in general and the context in which they exist.
On proving oneself
“Tell me what you read, and I’ll tell you who you are”. I think the same applies to winemakers. Give me a list of wines you make and I’ll tell you who you are. And it definitely works. Especially if you see the structure of wine production, what wines are produced, whether the winemaker sells varietals, brands, wines with a clear character. This gives you a lot of information. How does he/she relate to his colleagues, is he/she interested in others?
What makes a wine “interesting” is an open question. This concept depends on your experience, on what you’ve tasted. As a winemaker I will have a different perspective and approach.
On rebuilding the winery
If you understand that the most important part of the monastery is the inner courtyard and cloister and we intend to replicate this element in the winery. Around this courtyard will be the functional parts of the winery. In this sense, we will operate like a monastery. When I was considering the project of restructuring the estate, I told myself that if we were to do it, it should be done for centuries, at least for the next 500 years. This means that steel and concrete in construction are not our options because they need to be demolished every 80-100 years and rebuilt. Therefore, we decided to go the old-fashioned way: using stones and bricks.
On estate’s vineyards
The vineyards surround the estate within about a 10-minute radius. Right across from us are vines planted on terraces. Whether it’s Wachau or Krems, there are two types of vineyards. The first are terraced, planted along the Danube. Typically, these are dry vineyards with high mineralization, perfect for planting Riesling. On the other hand, there are vineyards based on loess and clay, with good water supply, which are ideal for Grüner Veltliner. These two varieties complement each other — what one likes, the other doesn’t, and vice versa. It remains for us to choose the right “players” for each vineyard. If you ask which are the best vineyards for Grüner Veltliner, in many cases they will be the slopes descending from Riesling terraces, where the soil becomes richer at the bottom. For example, the slope of the “Riesling vineyard” Gaisberg is the “Grüner vineyard” Renner.
On Austrian vineyards classification
It’s clear that the classification of Austrian vineyards is not something that happens in one year. Classification processes take decades as seen from the German experience. Unlike the Germans we have decided to classify vineyards from the simplest to the most complex and interesting. In Burgundy, there are 18% premier cru and 2% grand cru, in Champagne — 15% and 5%. We will do the classification in two steps: first, we will classify premier and grand cru together, selecting the top 20%. And then, in the second step, we will ask ourselves which vineyards will be designated as grand cru. We think it will take 15-20 years to evaluate the most important 20%. And then it will take us 5-10 years to designate Grand Cru zones. In Germany, they took a different approach — they first classified GG, Grosses Gewächs, and now they are looking for Premier Crus, Erstes Gewächs. This is the fundamental difference between what the VDP does and what we do. This is why there are no official grand cru designations in Austria. Not yet.
The problem with politicians, including the Austrian ones, is that they cannot introduce a classification without battles, leading to confrontations among winemakers. It’s always seen as a problem: how can you say that this vineyard is better than that one? How do you judge objectively? The question is what exactly you are going to classify. The “quality of the vineyard” is a concept that is very difficult to assess. If you go down this path, you’ll have to adopt a certain definition of “quality”, a measure of it. How can this be done?
This is also why we are not planning to evaluate the quality of vineyards. But there is something that we can still assess — the “importance” of the vineyard. It’s possible to find specific factors and indicators of importance. Currently, we are evaluating 15 factors, starting with historical ones. Some vineyards have been so important that they have been mentioned for over 1000 years. Another question is how long single vineyard wines have been produced from a specific vineyard. Some have never been made, while others have been produced for 400 years. This is also part of the significance of the vineyard. Then there’s the economic factor: how many owners are there on a single vineyard, or in other words, the fragmentation of the vineyard. Or for example, how many producers have decided to make single vineyard wines from this vineyard? How many sell wine as single vineyard? If the vineyard is important, the percentage will be very high. Then you can look at the prices and the number of countries in which the estate sells its single vineyard. This already gives a certain picture; this is the “power of vineyard classification”, its objectivity, the basis of our approach. We need time because “importance” is also determined by time. A huge problem with our classification system is the number of factors. In Austria, there are 3500 vineyards, each with its own name. And each name can be mentioned on the label”.
Tasted:
Gruner Veltliner 2018 / The workhorse of the estate, blossoms, exoticism, citrus, vibrant and juicy.
Langenlois Gruner Veltliner 2018 / Village level. Depth, exoticism.
Ried Steinsetz 2018 / Apricot-like, juicy, wakes the dead.
Ried Renner Gruner Veltliner 2017 / Beautiful minerality and a good mid-palate. Rings in the ears.
Ried Lamm 2017 / Body, volume, salinity.
Zobing Riesling 2018 / Citrus peel, pleasantly sweetens.
Ried Gaisberg 2017 / Autumnal, light, citrusy, slightly orange.
Heilingenstein 2017 / Riesling, slightly fruity, slightly candied.
Tradition Riesling 2016 / Timid, seems to hide from prying eyes. Give it time.
Heilingenstein 2012 / Aromatic. Won’t fit in the glass.
Ried Steinsetz 2008 / Essence of the estate — depth, complexity, aroma, resounding power.
Ried Renner 2008 / Intense Austrian beauty. Indescribable. Harmony and power. Do not overpower.
Tradition Riesling 2004 / Deep, apricot-like, exotic, very ripe, luxury and volume.