Schrattenthal
The Zull winery is located in Schrattenthal, the smallest wine town in Austria, 80 kilometres north of Vienna. First mentioned in a document in 1220, Schrattenthal is a historic municipality in the north-west of the Weinviertel & close to the cooler Waldviertel and the border with the Czech Republic.
The winery
The Zull winery is small and manageable with a vineyard area of 20 hectares. Around 80,000 vines are cultivated in 24 different plots, mainly in the medium-high education system. The vineyards are located in the municipal areas of Schrattenthal, Pulkau and Retz and are planted with 75 white wine and 25 red wine sticks. This results in an annual production of around 120,000 bouteillen (0.75 litres). 65 of the wines are now exported to 17 countries.
Management
Out of respect for nature, the Zull winery cultivates its vineyards without using herbicides or artificial fertilisers. For the sustainable protection of flora and fauna, plant protection is carried out with beneficial means. As an environmentally conscious business, the winery fulfils the requirements of the strictly “Controlled Integrated Production” (KIP). Through sustainable compost management, alternating greening of the vineyards and the application of compost tea, the Zull winery not only protects the environment, but also increases soil fertility. Most of the work steps are done by hand – a manual harvest is a matter of course. The winery has been certified sustainably Austria since 2019.
Geology and Terroir
The vineyards around Schrattenthal are located between sea levels of 260 to 360 metres above sea level, about the same latitude as the French wine-growing region of Alsace. The continental climate with the dry and hot summers allow the vines to be deeply rooted, while the cold nights in the ripening period give the grapes their special aroma. The vineyards are shielded from the nearby hills of the Manhartsberg, which protect against cold winds and guarantee optimum ripening of the grapes.
Around the winery Zull in Schrattenthal, the sandy loess soils are mainly used for Grüner Veltliner but also for red wine. Riesling is cultivated on the primeval rock soils of the Manhartsberg, where granite lies under a thin layer of humus of only 20 centimetres – the guarantee of fineness and minerality of this grape variety. Not enough of the variety of geology, the Rieden in Pulkau and Retz with their calcareous clay soils are perfect for the full aroma of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.