🍷 Weingut Pöckl

Weingut Pöckl is a family wine estate in Mönchhof, on the eastern side of Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland. According to the estate, its story begins in 1910, when Albert Pöckl came back after ten years in Minnesota, USA. From 1945 his son Theodor focused more and more on wine and, with his wife Magdalena, grew the farm to 10 ha. Josef Pöckl (born 1951) took over in 1979, turned it into a pure wine estate and from 1986 into a red-wine estate. Since January 2021 the estate has been run by René Pöckl, cellar master since 2002, with his wife Eva in the fourth generation.

According to the estate, it has used barriques since 1989 and made red blends since 1990; today it farms about 40 ha, including many top sites.

According to the estate’s website, Josef Pöckl planted Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, plus Pinot Noir, and also experimented with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon; the composition of the soils helped decide the choice of varieties. The estate speaks of a family tradition of more than 100 years and names no individual sites on that page. It is based at Zwergäcker 1 in Mönchhof.

Neusiedlersee is a protected designation of origin (PDO) of the EU, protected since 1996. Under the Austrian Wine Act 2009, a Qualitätswein must come from grapes harvested in a single wine-growing area, reach at least 15° KMW and carry a state test number; the term DAC may only be used with the regional conditions set by ordinance.

Why it matters to you. A red blend from this estate carries the area of origin on the label, not the grape varieties of the blend as a legal guarantee; the state test number shows the official check. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.