The Winery Giefing
Erich Giefing used to be an award-winning gourmet chef. His "Backstube" restaurant in Rust won the hearts of gastronomy critics between the late eighties and early nineties. Erich Giefing was very proud of his - greatly refined - Burgenland cuisine. During the mid-nineties he and his present-day wife Claudia decided to give up cooking, lease the restaurant and devote themselves with daring assurance to their new hobby: Viticulture. They made their new home in a 500-year-old farmhouse in the historic centre of Rust, laying the cornerstone for the Giefing Winery.
The Giefing Winery is a precious architectural gem in itself. The farmhouse dates back to the 15th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On the gently rising slopes of the Rust hill country, on the western shore of Lake Neusiedl, all the vineyards of the family winery are scattered over more than 40 plots, covering a total of around 16 hectares. Among them are such illustrious vineyard names as: Umriss, Gemärk, Oberer Wald, Bandkräftn and Rieglband. The oldest red wine vinestocks are 50 years or older.
The winemaking family focuses on the "Ruster Trilogy"; fruity, dry white wines - extract-rich red wines and the sweet "Ruster Ausbruch".
The Giefing Winery has been a member of the Renowned Wineries of Burgenland - RWB since 2014 and have been awarded with the title of "sustainable winery" in 2020.
The Pannonian climate that prevails here is characterised by cold winters with little snow, hot, dry summers and a long, mild autumn.
Lake Neusiedl serves as a climate regulator. The diversity of the area is also evident in the soil structures of Rust: river deposits from the Alpine region, primary rock, blown fine sand (loess) and sediments from primeval seas.
Each vine is checked a number of times from spring to fall to make sure it grows in the right direction. Shoots are thinned out and excess grapes removed to obtain a maximum physiological maturity.
Depending on the layout and age of the vineyard, we practice the so-called 6 to 8 grape program. In other words, we only leave between 6 and 8 bunches on the vine, depending on the growth and quality of the vine and the grapes. Then it's time to observe and listen to the grapes.
The time to harvest the grapes is determined according to individual quality criteria. Dense, deep red wine essences with extract sweetness are the result of this extreme cultivation. The wines are vinified in stainless steel tanks and new French oak barrels.
The top quality products from the Giefing winery won a number of awards in the last few years and continue to create a sensation in the exclusive gastronomy.