The history of the "Nikolaihof Wachau" winery in Mautern in the Wachau wine-growing region goes back two thousand years; it is one of the oldest farms in Austria. The buildings are partly built on Roman foundations. In the courtyard are remains of the early Christian Agapitus Basilica, where a synod was held under Bishop Pilgrim of Passau in 985 AD. A military camp for Charlemagne (742-814) was once built in the Burggarten area. The former Freihof was first mentioned in a document in 1075 as the central seat of the estate administration of the Passau monastery of St. Nikola. Today's chapel was built by the Augustinian canons. Today, receptions and wine tastings are held under the restored Gothic vault of the rededicated chapel. The Nikolaihof has been owned by the Saahs family since 1894, with a wine restaurant and the "ad vineas Nikolaihof guesthouse" attached. The farm is run by Nikolaus and Christine Saahs.
A wooden wine press has been in the Nikolaihof for around 350 years. It is considered the world's largest of its kind and is fully functional. The press tree is over 12 metres long and was hewn from the trunk of a single elm tree. The press stone, which weighs around 2,000 kilograms, is cranked up by hand. The basket holds up to ten tonnes of grapes. Until the early 1990s, this tree press was used exclusively. It was restored and was put back into operation in October 2012. In a video (click to view), you can admire the Nikolaihof tree press in action in fast motion.
The vineyards cover 22 hectares of vines in the Hund, Im Weingebirge, Klausberg and Vom Stein vineyards. They are 90% planted with Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, the rest with Gelber Muskateller, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Neuburger and Chardonnay. In some sites the vines are 50 years old. Most of them are located in Mautern, but the Hund and Klausberg vineyards are on the other bank of the Danube and belong to the Kremstal wine-growing region. Since 1994, the winery has been working strictly according to the rules of biodynamic viticulture and is a member of the worldwide organic farmers' association DEMETER. Accordingly, we also work according to the phases of the moon.
In the vineyard, artificial fertilisers and fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, etc. are avoided. The wines are fermented spontaneously without any technical or chemical aids using the vineyard's own yeasts in large oak barrels of around 2,000 to 12,000 litres and, in extreme cases, are stored for up to 20 years in the historic Roman wine cellar. The product range includes, among others, various white wines of the regional brands Federspiel, Steinfeder and Smaragd according to the guidelines of the Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus association. Around 100,000 bottles of wine are produced annually, 50% of which is exported. Apricot roasters, apricot jam, compote, mustard, schnapps, liqueur, vinegar and much more are also produced.
