Winemakers Night - Winery Herbert Zillinger - 05. April 2019

Honesty and depth, corners and edges. These attributes apply equally to the Weinviertler (“wine quarter” in the northeast of lower Austria) Herbert Zillinger and his wines. At the age of 20, he took over responsibility in his parents’ winery in tranquil Ebenthal near the Slovakian border. So if you prefer unique wines with character over everyday wines, you have come to the right place with him and his wife Carmen. He wants to produce wines with USP, with a unique selling proposition, and he succeeds in this like no other. “What do they say about us? That we make no compromises. That we create unique wines, wines with profile, structure and “USP”, with a unique selling point for wine, so to speak,” says the young entrepreneur. He is therefore not always “everybody’s darling” and sometimes he is also offensive, which he is happy to accept, as he rewards himself and his customers with unique wines.

What is particularly important to the Zillinger couple is: “That you recognize our signature and the soil on which our grapes grow. That we never trim our wines towards a promising business or a better evaluation. Our wines stand for themselves. If they like the way they are, then we are happy!” Herbert Zillinger’s ways have paid off, he was even honored by Master of Wine Jancis Robinson with an euphoric compliment: “… Only recently the wines were sent to me by some Austrian winegrowers, whose names were still new to me. The real discovery for me was Herbert Zillinger, whose white wines were outstandingly good.” A praise that speaks for itself! With his wines far away from the mainstream, Herbert has meanwhile made a name for himself. He has become rather unconventional over time, because he gives his wines a lot of time and air, his trademark is in strong belief of oxidation. It gives the wine structure, stability, mature Fruit aromas and a grandiose drinkability at the same time. Zillinger’s regional focus is on Grüner Veltliner, which he vinifies from classic to radical varieties and pushes to its limits with the grape variety. In this way he creates unique specimens and gives the Wine calm and balance.