This traditional winery is located in the municipality of Horitschon in the DAC region of Mittelburgenland (Austria). In the local chronicle, the name Weninger is first mentioned in 1828. The winery is run by Franz Ludwig and Martina Weninger. Franz Weninger is one of the Austrian pioneers of quality winegrowing. When he took over the winery from his parents in 1982, he immediately introduced rigorous changes such as harvest reduction, strict selection in the vineyard and slow aging in wooden barrels. Weninger became a guru in the Austrian red wine scene and is considered a master of barrique aging. After practical training in California, his son Franz Reinhard Weninger joined the winery in 1999.
The main winery in Horitschon in the wine-growing region of Mittelburgenland was completely rebuilt in 1998 and received several awards for contemporary architecture. The vineyards cover 28 hectares in the Dürrau, Hochäcker and Kirchholz vineyards. Biodynamic viticulture is consistently practiced here. The red wine varieties Blaufränkisch Merlot, Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir are cultivated with a high vine density of 6,000 vines per hectare. The Blaufränkisch vines in the Dürrau and Hochäcker vineyards are up to eighty years old. From the three hectare Saybritz vineyard with Blaufränkisch in Eisenberg in southern Burgenland, grapes are purchased. Since 2007, certified biodynamic viticulture has been practiced according to the rules of respekt-BIODYN. Since 2016, the winery has also been a controlled member of the DEMETER Austria association. The biodynamic cultivation takes place with special consideration or promotion of biodiversity (species diversity) through cover crop.
The wines are fermented spontaneously and vinified according to the strict rules of the two organic associations, following non-invasive principles with as little intervention as possible. The premium wines include the red wine cuvée "Veratina" (Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt, Merlot), named after the two daughters Vera and Tina, as well as various Blaufränkisch site wines from the above-mentioned sites. Certain wines are also bottled in 3-liter large bottles (double magnum). Around 160,000 bottles of red wine are produced annually, one third is exported. The winery is a member of Blaufränkischland Mittelburgenland.
In 1992, after long observation of the Hungarian winegrowing scene in the Villány winegrowing region, the Weninger & G ere winery was founded with the winemaker Attila Gere. A year later a newly built cellar was put into operation. The vineyards cover 12 hectares and are planted with Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Another winery in Hungary was founded in 1997 under the name Weninger & Pincészet in Balf near Sopron (Ödenburg), close to Rust. The vineyards cover 25 hectares and are planted with Syrah, Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch), Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.
