Couple transforms former cattle farm into award-winning winery

Christina and Christoph Maltschnig have turned a farm in Lebmach into a winery, ORF reported. Where cows once grazed, vines now grow above the Glantal. The couple had to acquire their winemaking expertise from scratch, and several of their wines have already won awards.

Christoph Maltschnig took over his grandfather’s farm 16 years ago. He had previously been a successful snowboarder who competed near the front of the World Cup during his youth. His wife Christina is a trained industrial engineer.

“My grandfather was always a great role model,” Christoph Maltschnig said. He wanted to continue working on the farm and move it back towards being a full-time business. Christina initially had a good job and he was unsure whether she would join him, he said, but the transition worked well.

Christina Maltschnig said the project would not have succeeded unless everyone worked in the same direction. The couple also received support from their family, she said, adding that both were willing to take on the work and follow through.

They now cultivate 2.5 hectares of vineyards. The entire family helps with the autumn harvest, while about 15,000 bottles of white, red and rosé wine are produced and bottled each year.

Christoph learned the technical side of winemaking at the Silberberg winegrowing school in Styria when he was in his mid-20s. “I was the oldest person in the class, but I learned a lot from my classmates,” he said. Their advice helped him avoid many mistakes he would otherwise have made in viticulture.

Three of the couple’s wine varieties were awarded Landessieger honours by the winegrowers’ association this year. Their rosé also competes nationally as a Salon wine.

During the summer, visitors can taste the wines at the farm’s Buschenschank, a farm wine tavern. It has become an important source of income and a popular meeting place above the Glantal.