Location: Ratsch An Der Weinstraße, South Styria
Hectares: 9.6 (6 planted to grapes)
Farming: biodynamic, Demeter certified since 2010
Winemaking: zero sulfur, wild yeasts, lots of skin contact, long aging
Harti Aubell grew up in a wine growing family but spent years away, including a stint in the military, before coming back to his family farm, Der Rebenhof, in 2007.
His grandfather started the winery in 1924, and Harti’s first vintage was 2008 (when he sadly lost 80% of his fruit to hail), and much of his work in the early days was converting the farm from conventional to biodynamic.
Harti’s vision is that of connectedness to the land and a deep curiosity for what can be. He rarely paints inside the lines, constantly experimenting and pushing the boundaries of what Styrian wine is. He’s a rare bird who prefers field blends to single-varietal wines, and if he could produce only skin-contact whites, he would. His first macerated experiment was in 2010, and 2011 is when he made the decision to really put an emphasis on the style. “These are the wines that best go with Austrian food”, he says.
Rebenhof lingers on the very far southern border of South Styria, right along the Slovenian border, and much of Harti’s vines are planted on wildly steep terraces at an astounding altitude of 1690ft. Soils are a mix of sand, silt, and schist, while Styria’s famed Opok, a friable marl that looks a bit like slate, is also heavily featured in his vineyards
Farming has been biodynamic since 2010 and deeply in tune with the life cycle of Harti’s vines. He’s planting fruit trees where he can because he believes the symbiotic relationship of vines and trees is the future of grape farming.
In the cellar, it’s a wizard’s world, with wines being aged in wild combinations of barrels and stainless depending on the age of the vines, the vintage, and Harti’s whims. He cares very little to discuss “winemaking” and more to talk about the sensibility of his wines…the feeling and intention behind them. Zero sulfur and long aging in most circumstances.
