Schödl Family

Loidesthal, Weinviertel, Austria

Mathias, Viktoria, and Leonhard Schödl see a bright future for their home region of Weinviertel.  Born from the union of two farming families, their deep connection to agriculture shines through when they speak, and sets them apart from many of their larger-producing neighbours.  

Their grandparents made wine for the home, and their parents made wine for the local market.  The young Schödls had bigger ideas, each setting off at young ages on various internships at wineries in New Zealand, South Africa, New York, and California, cementing their focus on organic farming.  

Taking full control of the family vineyards in 2016 - when they were all in their 20s - the siblings immediately began converting their already low-input farm to organics, and implementing biodynamic principles shortly thereafter.  Mathias’ university thesis on cover crops means that tilling is kept to a minimum - every second row is ploughed every 3rd year - and weeds are primarily controlled by their (growing) family of sheep. 

From 2017, they began to trial vinifications made with minimal intervention in the cellar, moving away from the more classic style they had learnt in school.  In 2019, they released their first ‘In Natura’ range.  We are fortunate to have met them on only their 2nd vintage in this style, when the wines already showed a maturity and poise that is rare, and was an extremely exciting sign of things to come.  

We can confidently say that the way their journey since unfolded has exceeded our expectations. The consistency of their work, the clarity of their wines and their vision, and their continuous search for refinement has made it clear to us why the Schödls believe in the future of their region - they are helping to write it.