Von der Vogelweide: I See Work, He Smells Bread

I think I got my first bottle of Von der Vogelwaide from Zdeněk Oudes, my esteemed friend in the wine trade who imports these wines for the Marie B / La Dégustation Boheme Bourgeoise restaurants in Prague. A lively, evolving wine with an open mind: this first encounter with the work of Daniel Vogelwaid and Michael Donabaum was nothing short of revelation. Up until then, I had a completely different image of Wachau, and these two shattered my preconceptions. Which I mean as a compliment, of course.

The second encounter happened at Colonia Verde in Brooklyn during a talk on modern farming and the future, where Daniel was one of the speakers. He made a lot of great points that got me thinking and made me want to dive deeper into their universe. That was almost two years ago, and – ta-daaa – we finally made it happen.

Words by Milan Nestarec and Lucie Kohoutová / Photos courtesy of Von der Vogelwaide

First things first – the farm. You recently bought an old property in Spitzer Graben, and from what I understand, it's bound to become the heart of everything you do. How did it come about?

We’ve always dreamed of having a place we could call our own one day. I grew up in a town with no family background in wine-making, in a semi-detached house with a tiny garden. But I’ve always been interested in farming – I started my viticulture apprenticeship out of curiosity and found my calling. I’ve always had the desire to own a farm and engage in farming on a broader scale.

Michael is the visionary in our relationship; he’s the creative force behind the winery. He’s always full of ideas, but many of them simply couldn’t be put into practice in our previous rented property. He grew up with winemaking, in a family that was always very business-minded, that constantly expanded their small winery and developed new sources of income. Just like his father, he sees a house and immediately comes up with a business idea for it.

So Michael saw this house and…?

We’ve had our eye on the farm for years, and we knew it had enormous potential. It’s situated on a hill across from our vineyards in Spitzer Graben. Even from a distance, we fell in love with it the moment we first saw it. One day, without us knowing, Michael’s grandmother drove over to the owner with a freshly baked cake to ask if she might be willing to sell the house, which was practically vacant anyway. The owner was hesitant.

Shortly after, we heard that the property had been promised to an investor. It was supposed to be torn down to make way for a luxury health resort. For Michael, his world came crashing down; after all, he saw us having a future together there. Years later, in May 2025, we got a call from the owners. The investor had backed out, and they wanted to show us around. We were so excited that we insisted on viewing the house that very same day. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to sleep from all the excitement.

Four days later, our offer was accepted. It was a very emotional moment for us, because up until that point, we felt homeless. Before that, there was no stability, no goal, as our lease was temporary. If we hadn’t found anything new, “Von der Vogelwaide” could have been just a temporary project.

Well, glad it turned out in your favour in the end, and congratulations on finding a real home! What are your plans with it now?

The farm is now our canvas, our source of inspiration, our place of energy. It is too big for just the two of us – we want to share it with others, host guests, throw parties, and offer farm workshops. Michael always says he can already smell the bread coming from the old wood-fired oven. I see work, he smells bread! [laughs]

We’re currently in the planning phase, which is turning out to be a massive undertaking, and after that, we’ll begin the first stage of the renovation. Step by step. Right now, though, we’re relocating our vegetable and herb garden, which will eventually become the central feature of our farm.

The list of wineries where you and Michael worked or did internships is quite impressive. How did it shape you and when did the idea of your own production begin to emerge?

We both worked and trained at very different wineries, as we both come from different wine-growing regions within the German-speaking world. Michael, for instance, gained his experience in areas and wineries with stronger ties to the Wachau and its grape varieties and style.

I’m from Baden-Württemberg, so the decision to build my experience in France came quite naturally to me. I think it was – and still is – a good combination for our Wachau project. We had very different perspectives at the start. I believe that from these two viewpoints, we were able to develop a style that is unlike any other in our region.

Ultimately, we only use techniques that I learned primarily in France. The only challenge is that we work with very different grape varieties and vineyard sites. Much of what we do today also stems from experience over the past few years; not everything is transferable from other regions to ours.

You guys say that von der Vogelwaide is not a winery – just like we do, funnily enough. So what is it, actually?

When we started in 2019, we increasingly saw ourselves as an agricultural startup. The term “winery” always seemed too elitist to us; we just didn’t feel like we belonged. “Von der Vogelwaide” translates to “from the bird hunt,” and that’s how we pursue our wild ideas, like birds.

But it’s not just about wine. We want to use our land wisely: reviving old orchards, raising animals, and sharing our experiences. We’re both still young and we’re trying new things. Together with our staff and interns, we’re exploring new approaches as well as looking at the past.

The world of wine alone has become too monotonous for us. Especially now, with such immense pressure to succeed in the air, we’re glad to have some variety through our other activities and to find new paths at the “winery” by taking a step back.

Can your winemaking path and philosophy be summarized in a simple way?

In 2021, we released our first vintage, consisting of 3,500 bottles. Currently, we produce about 24,000 bottles from approximately 5 hectares of vineyards. To be honest, for a long time we didn’t really know what our philosophy was.

We found ourselves working with many grape varieties that needed to be processed without ending up with a massive portfolio. When selecting vineyards, we focused more and more on soil geology than on the grape variety. Now, with a few harvests under our belt, we can see which grape varieties make sense for us in today’s climate. We don’t feel obligated to any single grape variety — we’re experimenting here, too.

What does this translate to, exactly?

I do a lot of research on grape varieties and rootstocks. I believe that in a monoculture, you can’t just jump on trends, we have to ask ourselves what grape varieties will work in 20–30 years. Our philosophy has a lot to do with looking to the future, even if that means stepping out of line. We do, however, have a slight preference when it comes to aging our wines. A large portion of our wines are aged in small wooden barrels, as we are convinced that cooler regions, such as the western Wachau, have precisely this potential.

Michael always says that most of the Wachau winemakers make fast wines from slow vineyards. Our approach is different, we don’t rush our wines.

I like the aesthetics of your bottles and your work in general – is it Michael's work, as a design lover? Actually, my impression is that everything gets transferred to your wine – when I drink it, I am subliminally aware of an overall style that you create and that makes me feel good.

Thank you so much! Yes, that’s mostly thanks to Michael. He draws his inspiration from architecture and fashion, his way of compensating for the dirty work clothes [laughs]. I think that’s what makes it feel authentic – we don’t have expensive agencies forcing a style on us. It’s just us, at work and in our hobbies, and we’re evolving just like our brand.

I'm sure everyone asks you this, but approaching things differently can be doubly difficult in a classic region like Wachau. Have you noticed over the past few years that someone else is joining you in defying the stereotypes?

The Wachau is a very traditional wine-growing region that still gives off a rather modest impression to outsiders. However, things are changing here as well. Perhaps at a slightly slower pace than in other regions, which is often due to the average size of the vineyards. It’s also because the land is quite expensive compared to other regions in Lower Austria.

Nevertheless, in recent years, many Wachau wineries have switched to organic farming. Additionally, many wines in the region are now lighter in style and harvested earlier. In terms of our style, we are likely still an exception – our strong focus on cuvées is very atypical for the area, as well as our extensive use of small oak barrels in combination with malolactic fermentation.

Rumor has it that some famous names from the region are going to withdraw from the classic Steinfeder, Federspiel, Smaragd classification system. Is this true?

Yes, recently some wineries have left Vinea Wachau, the association of the three Steinfeder, Federspiel, and Smaragd denominations. The reasons vary, but a major point of contention was the sustainability label, which caused discontent among wineries that were already organic and biodynamic. The system of determining quality based on the ripeness of the grapes seems somewhat outdated in times of climate change.

Higher ripeness levels do not automatically lead to higher wine quality. On the contrary, during hot years, they tend to become more of a problem. And with the phasing in of the DAC system in the Wachau, based primarily on the wine’s origin, the Steinfeder, Federspiel, and Smaragd system seems somewhat redundant. Even though it continues to provide customers with a guide to the wine’s alcohol content. [Districtus Austriae Controllatus is Austria's origin-based appellation system, regulating permitted grape varieties and styles, similar to the French AOCs. It was introduced in the early 2000s and still being rolled out across regions; the Wachau DAC was among the more recent additions. Editor's note.]

Will you be adhering to the DAC classification?

For us, neither of these two is particularly interesting: on one hand, we don’t believe in determining a wine’s quality based on its alcohol content or ripeness level, and on the other hand, we take issue with the DAC system’s restrictions on grape varieties for the vineyards.

In many of our vineyards, it's no longer possible to grow Grüner Veltliner without continuous irrigation during the summer. And to what extent this is sustainable is, unfortunately, highly questionable. Furthermore, we have issues with the regulations regarding the limitation of wood usage in vinification.

I am very interested in your vineyards, unique, densely planted, impossible to work in other ways than by hand. Can you tell us more about how you came to these interesting terroirs?

Many of our vineyards are planted quite densely. This is due to the width of the terraces; even in older vineyards with wire-trellis training, our rows are typically between 1.1 and 1.8 meters wide. Our dense plantings are based on the traditional bush-trained cultivation system (Stockkultur).

There, the vines are planted at 1-meter intervals, depending on the terrace. The dense planting is intended, on the one hand, to encourage deeper root growth, though this is only possible to a limited extent, depending on the soil. Another major advantage of this training method is the reduced stress on the vine. A plant does not have to bear as much yield as in trellis training, especially since grapes are usually smaller with the spur pruning method.

You often say there’s a certain similarity between Veltliner and white wines from the Rhone Valley – what exactly do you mean by that?

The main similarity lies in our region, the Wachau: much like the northern Rhône, wine is grown on steep slopes along the valley. Originally, apricots and other fruits were grown down by the river, while wine was cultivated on terraces higher on the slopes.

Another similarity is the geology; many of the steep slopes are limestone-free. In the Wachau, the soil is mostly gneiss or amphibolite; in the Rhône, it is granite and gneiss. Similarly, the valley soils consist of river alluvial deposits from the Alps, and some of the barren hills and slopes are interspersed with loess.

Grüner Veltliner cannot be compared to Rhône varieties in every respect, as its drought resistance is limited. However, in terms of the wines’ spiciness and roundness, it bears some resemblance to the white varieties of the northern Rhône. Therefore, in our opinion, it has just as much potential to produce exceptional wines with great aging potential, provided all the conditions align during the vintage.

You also have some Rhone varieties planted in your vineyards, right? What is it about that region that intrigues you so much?

We have mainly planted Syrah, in areas in the Spitzer Graben that are very difficult to access. The plots are exceptionally rocky and stony, and thus closely resemble the soils where I worked in the northern Rhône years ago.

I discovered the Syrah variety for myself there, as it produces wines with great aging potential. Likewise, Marsanne and Roussanne are fine examples of the more reserved grape varieties, perfectly suited to dry, barren soils, and they reveal their great potential with some bottle aging.

This approach goes against the general Austrian trend of bringing all wines to market as early as possible. What really impressed me was simply how closed these wines are in their youth and how they only achieve their true greatness with bottle aging.

I remember how impressed I was with you at the Karakterre symposium on global warming, in Colonia Verde in Brooklyn. You said that betting on Piwi varieties is not a good solution, because they generally ripen very early and that we should, on the contrary, focus on varieties that have the longest growing season possible. I loved that take because it broke the black-and-white way in which these issues are often approached. Any other curveballs on how to deal with adapting to what is happening, or is about to happen?

We’re working on several aspects. For one thing, we’re focused on making the soil healthier and more resilient, to prepare it for the effects of climate change. That means we’re trying to increase the humus content in our soil and improve the overall availability of nutrients on steep slopes. A better-nourished plant can also withstand a heat wave better than plants that are already weak.

I think this is one of the insights we’ve gained in recent years: our soils can only store water to a limited extent, once we’re on rock at the depth of 30 cm, the storage capacity isn’t really that great. And then often just two weeks of heat are enough to cause massive drought stress problems. As a result, the vine must be robust enough to withstand this stressful situation.

Consequently, the choice of rootstock has certainly become an important consideration for us in recent years. We have mainly relied on vigorous rootstocks in the interim. I’m still on the search for grape varieties that might be suitable for our region in the future. The big challenge is not just that climate change is making our region drier and hotter, but that we’re seeing more and more extremes.

Such as?

In recent years, it’s become increasingly common that heavy rainfall during flowering poses major challenges for plant protection, and then ten days later, we’re dealing with problems caused by drought and heat. Ultimately, I’m not only looking for grape varieties that can withstand more heat and drought but are also not too susceptible to downy mildew and black rot. Nor should they be prone to botrytis, as heavy rainfalls before or during harvest are becoming increasingly common. You can already see how complex the whole situation is, just from these few examples.

What’s your take on what is happening on the wine market now?

We’re hearing from many friends and colleagues that the market situation is changing. And it’s certainly disheartening to hear that even many young and innovative winemakers are worried about their future. Overall alcohol consumption is declining, and wine sales follow suit.

Lighter wines, such as those still produced in cooler regions like the Wachau, may be less affected by this trend for the time being. In addition, our growing region is quite small and production very limited. As a result, we feel the difficult market situation less acutely, since we operate in a niche. We strive to clearly communicate how and where our wines are grown and produced, in order to explain to customers the uniqueness of viticulture in the Wachau.

Once you finish the project with the old farmhouse, what is the next step? Any other plans, dreams?

You make us smile with this question – we’re still a long way from having the farmhouse finished. We have a vision of what it could look like, but I think our goal isn’t to complete a construction project, but rather to build a community and create a sense of belonging when people spend time there.

Alongside our construction project, we’d like to improve our vineyards and their soil. For our future, I’d also like to have the opportunity to pursue new interests. I don't want to sound pretentious, but we dream of the Black Sheep taking on a pioneering role.

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