Summary
Weingut R&A Pfaffl in Stetten on the Bisamberg is one of the best-known addresses in the Weinviertel and carries the region's name far beyond Austria. Across around 110 hectares – mostly white wine – Grüner Veltliner takes centre stage, complemented by Riesling and powerful reds. What Roman and Adelheid Pfaffl built from a small mixed farm from 1978 has been run since 2011 by their children Roman Josef and Heidi in the second generation. The estate stands for regionally typical, export-strong Veltliner in many styles – from the fresh classic to the dense single-vineyard reserve.
History
The history of today's estate begins in 1978, when Roman Pfaffl, together with his wife Adelheid, took over the family's mixed farm in Stetten and consistently reoriented it towards viticulture. From initially less than a hectare of vines, the couple step by step built a producer whose wines were soon sought after well beyond the Weinviertel. The first estate bottlings date to around 1983.
Roman Pfaffl campaigned early for a clear appellation of origin for the region and is among the pioneers of the Weinviertel DAC, introduced in 2003 as Austria's first DAC appellation. Since 2011 the children Roman Josef Pfaffl and Heidi Pfaffl have run the estate in the second generation – the son responsible for vineyards and cellar, the daughter for the commercial side. Under them the estate grew further and was named 'European Winery of the Year' by the US magazine Wine Enthusiast in 2016.
Location & Terroir
The home estate lies in Stetten on the Bisamberg, that striking ridge in the southern Weinviertel immediately north of Vienna and the Danube. The Bisamberg forms a climatic seam between the warm, Pannonian-influenced east and the cooler influences from the north – a constellation that gives the wines both ripeness and freshness.
The soils around Stetten are varied: loess and clay over calcareous subsoil shape many sites, alongside sandier and gravelly parcels. On loess the Grüner Veltliner turns full and spicy, while limestone- and bedrock-dominated soils produce tauter, more mineral wines. The family farms vineyards in several villages around Stetten, allowing a broad spectrum of site characters.
Style & Philosophy
At the centre is Grüner Veltliner in its full range. The wines run from the light, peppery, fresh regional wine through more powerful village wines to densely built reserves from the best sites, which spend time on the fine lees and partly in large wooden casks. The aim is a clear, varietally typical expression with drinkability – wines that give pleasure young and can also age.
Alongside Veltliner, Riesling plays an important role for the fine, mineral whites. For the reds, Pfaffl relies mainly on Zweigelt and St. Laurent as well as international cuvées. The estate is strongly export-oriented and widely represented in international restaurants – one reason the name Pfaffl stands internationally for the Weinviertel.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is clearly tiered, from accessible regional and village wines to the single-vineyard reserves. Among the best-known sites and wines are:
- Hundsleiten – the home site on the Bisamberg with old vines; the basis of the long-standing Grüner Veltliner reserve, the estate's most important flagship
- Haidviertel – a site for powerful, densely built Grüner Veltliner
- Goldjoch and Zeiseneck – further prized sites around Stetten
- Rieslings from the terraced slopes of the Bisamberg
The palette is rounded out by reds, cuvées and sparkling wine (Sekt).
Awards
Roman Pfaffl senior was already named Winemaker of the Year by the magazine Falstaff and carried the reputation of the Weinviertel out into the world early. Under the second generation came the 2016 award as 'European Winery of the Year' from the US magazine Wine Enthusiast – a rare honour for an Austrian estate. The wines regularly receive high scores from Falstaff and wein.plus and are a byword for regionally typical Grüner Veltliner from the Weinviertel.