The Haimerl family’s history in Gobelsburg, Langenlois, goes back to 1829. Recently, a representative of the seventh generation took over the reins: Johannes Haimerl, whose approach to winemaking is characterised by attention to detail, a trait that also distinguishes his father Karl Haimerl. Johannes has no objection to being called a “wine tinkerer”. ‘I am convinced that it is the details that make the quality of a wine,’ he says.
The workplace of the Haimerl winemaker family is the magnificent landscape of the Kamp Valley, where Pannonian mildness meets Waldviertel coolness, creating a microclimate in which the winery’s leading varieties, Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, feel particularly at home. The great diversity of the soils, from loess to gravel, is the key to wines with typicity and character. Father Karl Haimerl, master of the vineyards, appreciates his homeland: ‘Many talk about diversity. Here in the Kamp Valley, we can live and work with this diversity every day.’ The vineyards bear great names such as Spiegel, Redling and Haid.
When the best grapes end up in the Haimerl cellar, it is Johannes who is in his element. ‘It is here where it is decided how close I get to my ideal of the perfect wine,’ he says. The ingredients for a perfect outcome are patience, control, overview, modern technology and old winemaking knowledge. The greatest passion in the winery is the single vineyard wines of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, aged for a long time on lees.
The winery places great value on tradition, but as Johannes and Karl Haimerl demonstrate, nature is a superior creator. Much can be left to her with a clear conscience. But nothing is left to chance.
