Our
region.

Grapevines were already being grown in the favourable climatic region south of Vienna more than 2000 years ago. Roman legionaries stationed in the local military camps of Carnuntum and Vindobona brought both vines and their knowledge of wine-making from their homeland to the province then known as Pannonia. Today’s designation for the region ‘Thermenregion’ is derived from the sulphurous hot thermal springs that still come to the surface in the spa town of Baden. The Middle Ages ushered in a golden age of wine growing under the control of the Cistercian monks. The way the vineyards have been planted and the character of the local villages clearly show the influence of the original house of the order, Citeaux in Burgundy (© Österreich Wein).

The foundation of Heiligenkreuz Abbey by Cistercian monks in the 12th century marked the arrival of modern forms of wine production in the region. With them they brought profound skills in viticulture, laying the foundations for the development and success of this wine-growing region to the south of Vienna. In addition to various Burgundy varieties, it is the regional specialities Rotgipfler and Zierfandler that are predominantly grown here now, giving the location its unique signature.