The small valley named after the community of the same name is located west of Haugsdorf in the north of the wine-growing region Weinviertel in Lower Austria. There was probably already winegrowing here at the beginning of the first millennium. This is documented for the year 1140, when the Order of Knights of Malta was given plots of land with vines in "Mourberg". Today, the Castle Winery of the Order of the Knights of Malta is run on this historic site. The area is formed as an island, so to speak, on the south-eastern slopes of the Buchberg. It has a very special microclimate that is excellently suited to viticulture, with intensive sunlight that also favours red wine production.
The vineyards on very calcareous soil with loam and sand cover about 280 hectares of vineyards, which are cultivated by 140 winegrowers. The leading variety Grüner Veltliner dominates with a share of 80%, followed by the white wine varieties Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay as well as the red wine varieties Zweigelt, Blauer Portugieser, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Well-known vineyards are Antlaßbergen (Atlaßbergen), Blickenbergen, Die alten Bonder, Hangern, Hintern Häusern, Hochlüssen, Hundschupfen, Maasgrund, Neudeggen, Rosenpoint, Saazen, Weidenthal, Zeiselbergen and Zwerch Bonder. Well-known producers in Mailberg are Hagn Wolfgang, Schlossweingut Malteser Ritterorden and Zens Josef. In 1982, the first vineyard in Lower Austria was planted with the Cabernet Sauvignon variety in Mailberg.
Under the brand name "Mailberg Valley", winegrowers from the six municipalities of Albern, Dürnleis, Hart, Kleinbaumgarten, Kleinweikersdorf and Mailberg have joined forces to produce quality wines with "controlled origin" according to the French appellation model (comparable to Chablis) on around 150 hectares of vineyards. The seal of quality on the label is an old view of Mailberg Castle, which is owned by the Order of Knights of Malta. It guarantees that a wine comes from the Mailberg vineyards and has the typical character traits with spiciness, fullness, digestibility and optimal physiological maturity. The wine must originate 100% from Mailberger Rieden, be cultivated according to the guidelines of controlled and integrated p est management (KIP), meet the requirements of the state inspection number for quality wines and pass the inspection of a strict internal tasting commission.
Picture: © ÖWM -- Gerhard Trumler
