Salzl Seewinkelhof
The Salzl Seewinkelhof Vineyard is located in Illmitz, surrounded by the picturesque lakes and plains of the Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park, in the easternmost tip of Austria in Burgenland. Our vineyard has been a family business for many years. With Heribert, Josef and Christoph Salzel at the helm, three generations are now working hand in hand, and in line with our slogan "pleasure and love of life" they produce wines full of character. Our wines are known for their softness and warmth, typical Seewinkel characteristics, reflecting the tranquil and endless plains. As winemakers and hosts of our four-star guesthouse, we focus on authenticity, passion and care to ensure the comfort and relaxation of our guests.
History
The Salzl vineyard has a long wine tradition, and the history of the family business dates back to 1840. Before Heribert Salzl, Josef Salzl's father, took over the business, the farm was engaged in mixed farming, but Heribert, as one of the first farmers in the area, focused more and more on winemaking, in particular white and dessert wines. The wines caused a lot of surprise by winning several gold medals. By aligning production with high-quality red wines, Josef Salzl laid the foundations for today's success. In the 1980s and in 2000, at the very first attempt, he managed to place his product among the top 50 red wines in Austria. Since 2005, his son Christoph also works full time in the vineyard. Step by step, he takes over the responsibilities and continues the family tradition, and our team of employees has been supporting us for years in the vineyard, winery and sales, doing an amazing job and contributing to our passion.
Vineyards
The quality of a good wine starts in the vineyard. Contrary to past vineyards, less is more to today's crops. We strongly believe that fruit selection and lower yields in the vineyard increase the quality of grapes, therefore we only use healthy and fully ripe fruit for the production of our wines. Careful handling of the soil, vines and a passion for the landscape are essential to obtain a product with a unique character.
Wine region
Illmitz is located on the eastern bank of the Neusiedlersee and is Austria's lowest town at 117 meters above sea level. A large number of sunny days, endless plains and a variety of nature are characteristic of this area, called Seewinkel.
The soil provides excellent growing conditions, from fine sand to loose gravel and black earth, and the unique climate of Seewinkel - shaped by dry, hot summers and cold winters and the influence of the Pannonian Plains and Lake Neusiedl, creating a unique terroir shaping elegant, fresh and mineral wines . Thanks to this unique microclimate, this region is one of the most climatically privileged wine regions in the world.
Wine collection
In addition to Austrian grape varieties such as Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, which provide an international style, our most important grape variety is typical of the Zweigelt region. For white wines, Chardonnay is the leading variety, but Welschriesling, Weißburgunder, Grüner Veltliner and Sämling 88 complete our range in this regard.
Today our portfolio includes 75 percent red wines and 25 percent white wines, with a small amount being dessert wines. Like no other wine region in the world, the special atmosphere of Seewinkel puts the dessert wines in a class of their own. The warm and humid climate in late autumn provides ideal conditions for the Botrytis cinerea variety, known as the noble fishing rod, creating the unique sweet treasures of Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, which are known far beyond the country's borders.
