Ever since he was very young, he always knew that he wanted to cultivate his own wine one day. During his studies, he put his heart and soul into learning about wine and how it’s created. He was lucky – there were still a few vineyards in his family, where the grapes had long since been used to produce any wine. That was then. Now, he has poured all his knowledge and passion into the very barrels where the wines now slumber. He has picked the finest grapes from the finest vineyards and he is now creating his own wines – and with it, writing the first chapter of an exciting story. Precious soil, hard work. Loiben lies on the left bank of the Danube. Here in the heart of the Wachau, the steep, terraced vineyards sprawl out as far as the eye can see – and further still. Viticulture has a long-standing tradition here and despite the elevations, which aren’t the most ideal to cultivate, wine takes centre stage in Loiben. The locality is home to a special climate, which is regulated by the Danube. Warm airstreams from the Pannonian region and cool winds from Lower Austria’s Waldviertel district come together to give the wine an exceptional aroma. But it’s not just about the climate. The soil is another crucial factor in creating the unique wines from Loiben: strongly weathered primary rock, as well as gneiss and loess, shape the soil profile of the Loibner vineyards.