Sustainable viticulture: Young winemakers rely on the organic trend in Krems

Sustainable viticulture: Young winemakers rely on the organic trend in Krems

This year's JungWinzerCompetenceTrophy 2024 took place in Krems, a competition that put the spotlight on the up-and-coming talents in the wine industry and at the same time highlighted an exciting development in viticulture. More and more young winemakers are turning to organic farming methods, which not only benefits the environment but also enjoyment. The trend towards sustainable practices was particularly evident in this year's event.

The award ceremony took place in the Pfizka restaurant, where the best wines were chosen in a total of four categories. Among the participants was 19-year-old Nico Ernst from Großwiesendorf, whose Grüner Veltliner DAC 2023 secured first place in the “White Wines Grüner Veltliner Klassik” category. His fruity creation was particularly well received and shows the skills of the young winemakers.

Performance in organic viticulture

Theresa Eder from the Eder & Wolf winery in Langenlois came in second place with her organically produced wine. She is one of the pioneers in the field of organic viticulture and aims to convert her family winery completely to organic by 2027. Their passion for sustainable production is reflected in the high quality of their wines.

Nico Ernst and Theresa Eder were once again successful in the “White Wine Variety” category. However, the winner in this category was Michael Breitenfelder from Kleinriedenthal, whose mixed set 2023 is already sold out. This points to the growing demand for high-quality, organically produced wines and reinforces the image that more and more wine lovers are choosing sustainable products.

Focus on the challenges of climate change

Another highlight was Anna Langes from Bisamberg, who impressed the jury with her Grüner Veltliner DAC Reserve 2023. After an internship in Switzerland, she brought with her innovative ideas, particularly about switching to organic viticulture as a response to climate change. These sustainable approaches not only helped her get a place on the podium, but also made her the face of Vienna wine in 2024.

Other outstanding participants in this category were Lukas Vogt from Wolfpassing and Leonhard Hagenbüchl from Hohenwarth. All presented their belief that organic farming methods are urgently needed to meet the challenges of climate change and the higher demands of consumers.

The red wine segments were dominated by the experienced thermal region. Michael Ganneshofer from Soos took first place with his Merlot “Exklusiv” 2020, which was matured in barrique barrels. Further prizes went to Andreas Beranek and Michael Gmeiner, who also presented excellent red wines. Here too, the trend towards organic farming methods was a central theme.

The JungWinzerCompetenceTrophy 2024 once again confirmed that younger winemakers are increasingly focusing on sustainability in order to meet consumers' quality demands and at the same time respond to the challenges of climate change. “Organic is the future,” says Theresa Eder, who speaks on behalf of many of her colleagues and thus shows a clear path into the future.

For detailed information on current developments in viticulture and the wines presented in Krems Reports on www.meinkreis.at exciting insights.