The winery and its vines

the viticulture

The Vogelsanghof, originally also called Obervogelsanghof, is located approx. 2 km south-east of Brixen at 720 m a.s.l. It comprises 2 hectares of cultivated land and 3 hectares of forest. Our wine is grown on 1.3 hectares of land, laid out in terraces and steep slopes in a south-westerly direction and therefore very sunny, whereby it is mainly grape varieties that have been forgotten.

the wine growing

Due to the completely natural processing of the winery, you will find a variety of wild herbs everywhere and the soil is animated by many animals and insects, which is why the grapes are used.

We work completely without chemical pesticides or fertilizers and without pesticides, not even with large machines, but almost exclusively by hand.

You will hardly find a more natural and purer wine!

The vines

All of our vines are PIWIs. Piwi stands for “fungus-resistant” grape varieties with good resistance to powdery mildew – Oidium and downy mildew – Peronospora and which are completely on par with traditional “Vitis vinifera” grape varieties in terms of quality.

They originated from crosses between European and fungus-resistant American species. Almost all of them were made in France at the turn of the century from 1880 to 1935. Originally, the aim was to combine the disease resistance of the American vines and their phylloxera resistance with the good wine quality of the European varieties. By and large, fungus-resistant means resistant to the fungal diseases that occur in European wine-growing regions but also worldwide.

Such fungal diseases were not originally native to Europe, but were introduced to Europe with new grape varieties from North America in the 19th century and then spread explosively. At that time, viticulture threatened to collapse in Europe, also because of phylloxera, which was spreading in Europe at the same time.

Since then, all traditional vines have had to be treated with fungicides 6 to 16 times a year, and recently even up to 30 times (depending on the weather), because a fungal attack can completely destroy the grape harvest. Unfortunately, this is how these pesticides get into our waters and the environment. Thanks to these new / old Piwi grape varieties, it is possible to operate completely ecological viticulture and to get by with very little natural plant protection such as copper and sulfur, both minerals that are also contained in the soil.

The “whites“

Muscaris is a hybrid of Solaris and Muscatel. This variety has extremely good resistance to downy mildew (downy mildew). It has a strong nutmeg and citrus aroma, strong with intense acidity and has a strong bouquet.

Solaris is a cross of Merzling and vulgo Gm6493 (a seedling population).

The name “Solaris” means belonging to the sun, because it helps the variety to ripen early and achieve a high sugar output due to its strength. It has a fruity, fragrant and harmonious aroma which is similar to that of a Riesling.

Your wine type is alcoholic, strong and has an excellent fragrance and a lot of elegance.

With its high sugar content, the wine gives a little more fullness when blended with other varieties.

The grape variety “Johanniter” is a breed from 1968 by Dr. Johannes Zimmermann, the former head of grapevine breeding at the State Viticulture Institute in Freiburg. The name was given in his honor. It is a cross between Riesling x (Seyve-Villard x (Ruländer x Gutedel)).

The taste of the Johanniter is strong and fruity with similarities to Riesling and hints of Ruländer and the acidity is lower.

The “reds“

The grape variety “Cabernet Jura” was bred by the Swiss grape breeder Valentin Blattner. It is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and a wild grape.

The wine is characterized by its dark, ruby ​​red color. The scent is reminiscent of forest fruits, blackberries and cassis, the taste of a Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon and it has a strong, ripe tannin structure.

The new grape variety “Cabernet Cortis” was crossed in 1982 at the Freiburg State Wine Institute by Norbert Becker from the Cabernet Sauvignon varieties and another new breed by the Freiburg scientists, the white Solaris grape variety. The taste of the wine is very strong, rich in color and has clear tannins. It has a typical Cabernet Sauvignon character with usually an even more pronounced cassis aroma and taste