Carnuntum, Niederosterreich, Austria
Wines by Christina & Franz Netzl
Varietals and key wines include; Gruner Veltliner, Zweigelt, Chardonnay, St Laurent
Since 1650, the Netzl family has lived and farmed in this tiny region in south east of Vienna.
For Christina, who harboured ambitions of being a winemaker from the age of five, winemaking is in the blood. She is now a widely admired wine producer for the 28 hectare site.
After joining her parents back home at the winery in 2007 and under the guidance of her father, she learned ‘classical’ wine production while working alongside him in the vineyards and the cellar. But, fascinated by the microbiological processes, she decided to undertake further study in enology and wine management. Inspired by organically produced wines from small producers all over the world, she decided to focus on low intervention wines. The wines are unfiltered with little sulphur used at the bottling stage.
Under her stewardship, the winery has embraced organic and natural winemaking. She transitioned the whole property to organic farming in 2013 and in 2018, they asked for official organic certification. At the same time, she spearheaded the launch of her own range of natural unfiltered and unfined made wines, Christina Wines, in 2015.
‘Over the years, I’ve also been experimenting with different low-intervention methods in the cellar. I fell in love with them and the living wines they yield, and I ended up adding my own range of natural wines to the more classical ones ‘inherited’ from my father,’ Christina explains.
Christina Wines offer highly drinkable and elegant options. The labels on the bottles are colourfully illustrated to depict the vineyard’s insect population, which manages pests, and improves biodiversity.
