„Good taste is quite simple: take only the best of everything.“
Wine as the interplay of nature and culture
Distilling our philosophy into a few sentences is almost impossible. Perhaps that is because working in the vineyard and cellar leaves plenty of time to think, allowing so many ideas to take shape. We have described our philosophy in six points below. They are the pillars on which our convictions rest: six paths leading together towards wine that is as honest and close to nature as possible – wine we stand behind completely.
Organic
We farm our vineyards according to organic principles. We have worked without insecticides and herbicides since the 1950s. ‘I wouldn't spray it on my salad, so why would I spray it on my wine?’ was Sepp Mantler Senior's thinking. He also disliked the sight of scorched, lifeless plants in the vineyard. Positive effects on the environment soon became apparent: populations of beneficial insects recovered, the vineyard ecosystem returned to a natural balance and plant vitality increased. Mantlerhof was among the first estates to experiment with cover crops between the vine rows – a method that is now standard good practice. We were therefore working to our own sustainability standards very early on. Yet the transition to certified organic farming still needed a defining moment. In 2002, Gedersdorf was devastated by a once-in-a-millennium flood on the Kamp. This display of nature's force was a wake-up call. We wanted to do more, because as farmers we carry a responsibility to society and to future generations. Organic farming makes a decisive contribution. The certification process for both arable farming and viticulture was introduced step by step and completed in 2009. Beyond the statutory requirements, we use targeted measures throughout the year to protect the other creatures that share our vineyards and fields. Soil work is timed with hares and European ground squirrels in mind. Small fallow areas are left to nature, and loess walls to cavity-nesting birds. When establishing new vineyards, we consult conservation specialists.
Single sites
Only a handful of our wines do not carry a vineyard name on the label. Our focus is therefore on origin at its most precise: the individual site, the Ried. Every part of a vineyard has different characteristics – soil, microclimate, flora and fauna, along with countless subtle and hidden influences we may not even fully understand. We want to bring out the differences these influences create in the wines. We have bottled some of our single vineyards in 0.7-litre bottles since the 1940s, a revolutionary pioneering step at the time. This conviction and personal passion led us to help found the Austrian Traditional Wineries. The association set itself the goal of classifying Austria's vineyards along French lines. Vineyards that had traditionally produced superior quality were elevated by their growers to the rank of ‘1ÖTW Erste Lage’. As a founding member, Sepp Mantler helped formulate the association's objectives.
True to the vintage
The foundation of quality in wine is laid in the vineyard. Careful harvesting and strict selection are especially important. Our motto in the cellar is ‘less is more’, allowing the outstanding quality of fruit from our single vineyards to speak for itself. We neither acidify nor deacidify our wines, and no sugar has been added for more than 70 years. The wines are bottled unfined – apart from stabilisation and filtration – and faithfully reflect their growing conditions. Stress is no better for wine than it is for people. Releasing our wines late, usually no sooner than six months after harvest, gives them time to find inner harmony and balance. Longer ageing in the cellar, with bâtonnage or sur lie, gives the wines a long life. Together, these measures – or this deliberate restraint – allow our wines to express each vintage intensely. In hot years they become noticeably rounder and creamier; in cool years, fresher and more taut. These differences matter to us. They show that our wine remains a product of nature rather than an artificial product.
Slow Food
Our most important variety and particular passion, Roter Veltliner, was the first grape variety to be included in the Ark of Taste. Slow Food thus recognises it as an old variety especially worthy of protection. It has even been elevated to the rank of a Slow Food Presidio. As members, this naturally makes us very proud. We are committed to ensuring that Roter Veltliner and other old local varieties receive the care and recognition they deserve.
Vegan
Our purist approach in the cellar and deliberate avoidance of almost all fining agents mean that every one of our wines is free from animal-derived additives and suitable for a vegan lifestyle. We are pleased that this allows almost everyone to enjoy our wine. The wines are inspected by Austria Bio Garantie and certified by the Austrian Vegan Society.
Regionality
We process only organic grapes from our own vineyards. This is the only way to ensure that every grape is grown to our standards. All our vineyards lie within a two-kilometre radius of Gedersdorf.
Roter Veltliner
Roter Veltliner is an ancient indigenous variety from our region, named for its pale red to delicate pink berries as they ripen. Sepp Mantler Senior began studying the vine intensively in the 1930s, and it has been cultivated continuously at Mantlerhof ever since.
For many decades, we effectively had a monopoly on the variety. Its wine has always been highly regarded, but the vine is demanding to cultivate. It calls for considerable passion and attention to detail, and only a few winegrowers have been willing to take on the challenge. Our family is deeply proud of this heritage. We see ourselves as guardians of Roter Veltliner, and it will always hold a special place at Mantlerhof.
The wine shows its greatest strength when the fruit reaches full ripeness. It has a generous bouquet and a full, long palate, with a reputation for excellent ageing. As an old variety, it also shows resilience in the face of our changing climate.
„Sepp Mantler and Roter Veltliner are an almost unbeatable combination. His bottle-aged ‘Reisenthal’ paired with pork cheek is pure pleasure!“
Neuburger
When Margit Mantler-Ferstl left the Wachau in the 1990s to settle at Mantlerhof, she brought Neuburger with her. The variety has now been part of the estate for more than 30 years and is cultivated in the outstanding Steingraben and Reisenthal vineyards.
In Austria, the story of Neuburger is closely intertwined with the Ferstl and Mantler families. In the 1860s, our ancestor Christof Ferstl, a winegrower in Oberarnsdorf in the Wachau, retrieved a small bundle of vines from the Danube, planted them and eventually made wine from their fruit. Word of the ‘new vine’ soon spread beyond the village. Winegrowers in Spitz became particularly interested, taking vines from Arnsdorf and planting them near the Hinterhaus ruins in Spitz, locally known as the ‘Burg’, or castle. The expression ‘new vine from the Burg’ gave rise to the name still used today: Neuburger.
In the vineyard, Neuburger is demanding and requires considerable skill from the grower. In return, it produces wonderfully versatile food wines: soft and full-bodied, elegant and creamy, with a pleasant nutty freshness. The emphasis is more on body than fruit.
The people behind it
A family business lives through the people who carry it. Get to know the Mantlerhof team - with experience, dedication and a shared understanding of honest wine.
About the family