Taste and Tour Small Organic Wineries with a Winemaker

The best part of this tour is its close look at Austrian wine beyond the famous labels. Winemaker Chris leads you through the Kremstal and Kamptal regions, where you meet small producers, taste wines at different stages, and see how soil, harvest timing, and cellar choices shape each bottle.

I like the personal access to boutique wineries, especially Kapitel Zwei, Mantlerhof, Feldtheorie, and WeinSchach. I also like the short vineyard walk at the end, which gives the tasting a sense of place instead of leaving you in a cellar all afternoon. The main drawback is the pace: four winery stops, driving, and a walk fit into about three hours, so you should expect a focused visit rather than a lazy full-day wine outing.

Key points to know before booking

• Chris leads the tour as a working winemaker, with his own connection to vineyards and local producers.
• Kapitel Zwei offers an unusual first stop, with French grape varieties grown organically and wine aged in amphora and steel.
• Mantlerhof brings centuries of family winemaking, with a strong focus on Grüner Veltliner and Roter Veltliner.
• WeinSchach specializes in organic sparkling wine, including hand-harvested and hand-disgorged Pet Nat.
• The final viewpoint requires a 7 to 10 minute walk, so wear shoes suited to uneven vineyard paths.
• The private format gives you room to ask questions, but small cellars may not suit anyone uncomfortable in tight spaces.

Why this tour feels different from a standard wine tasting

Many wine outings near Vienna focus on a single large estate or a polished tasting room. This one follows a different path. You move through several smaller operations, each with its own scale, family story, grape choices, and approach to organic production.

That variety matters. A wine can taste different because of the grape, but also because of the soil, the slope, the vessel, the harvest date, and the winemaker’s aim. Chris uses the stops to connect those details. You may taste a finished wine beside something still developing, then hear why one producer uses steel, another uses amphora, and another lets sparkling wine develop in the bottle.

The tour is private, so only your group takes part. That makes a real difference when you have questions. Past groups have asked about everything from planting young vines to bottling, blending, and the future of sustainable wine production. Chris’s style is friendly and flexible, and he can shape the conversation around your interests.

This is not a formal lecture with a fixed script. It is closer to being introduced to several small winemakers through someone who knows the local scene. You will still learn the basics, but the best moments are likely to come from the exchanges between Chris, the producers, and your own group.

Getting from Vienna to Krems

The tour begins at Bahnhofplatz 2 in Krems an der Donau. If you are based in Vienna, you have two scenic ways to reach the starting point.

The most direct choice is the train to Krems. The ride follows the Danube and makes the trip feel like part of the day rather than a chore. You arrange the meeting with Chris at the Krems train station.

You can also arrive by boat from Vienna and meet him at the boat station. If neither option fits your plans, the pickup details are flexible, and you can coordinate another meeting place.

This flexibility is useful, but you should sort out the connection before booking your wine day. The activity itself ends back at the meeting point in Krems, so you need to allow time for your return trip to Vienna or your next stop. The experience is listed at about three hours, with roughly 30 minutes spent driving between locations.

The tour operates Monday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. between November 1, 2025, and October 31, 2026. The start time should be confirmed with the provider, since the published hours cover a broad afternoon window.

Kapitel Zwei and the steep vineyard at Kremsleithen

Your first wine stop is Kapitel Zwei, a micro-winery in the Kremsleithen area. The drive climbs from near river level to about 400 meters through winding wine roads, giving you an early sense of how much the slopes shape this part of Austria.

Kapitel Zwei means Chapter Two. The project is a small experiment in organic and sustainable winemaking, built around French grape varieties that are less familiar in Austria. The plantings include Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, and Sémillon.

The vineyard called Kremsleithen has an appealing backstory. It was abandoned for decades and replanted in May 2022. The name refers to the steep slope running down toward the Krems River. Records mention the site as far back as 1266, and its soil includes loam, sand, and clay at about 300 meters above sea level.

Expect this stop to feel hands-on and exploratory. Grapes are handpicked from a single vineyard, and the wines are aged in amphora and steel tanks. Tasting wine at different points in fermentation can help you understand how much a finished bottle changes before it reaches a table.

This is a strong opening for anyone curious about wine production. It also sets the tone for the rest of the outing: small batches, careful work, and producers making decisions outside the most familiar commercial pattern. The possible downside is that a micro-winery may not offer the polished rooms or broad facilities found at a large estate.

Mantlerhof in Brunn im Felde

The next stop is Mantlerhof, a family winery in Gedersdorf near the Kamp River, just before it joins the Danube. The setting adds a dose of village life. In Brunn im Felde, an old manor with an early classical facade sits beside a pond, and that manor is home to the Mantler family winery.

The family has worked the estate for more than 200 years, with winemaking roots reaching back to 1365. That long connection is useful context, but the visit is not only about the past. Mantlerhof works 15 hectares of vineyards and focuses on organic wines designed to last.

The key grapes here are Grüner Veltliner and Roter Veltliner. Grüner Veltliner is Austria’s best-known white grape, but tasting it from a small organic estate can show you a wider range than a casual restaurant glass. Roter Veltliner, despite its name, is also a white wine grape and is less common on international wine lists.

At Mantlerhof, you can expect the producer to explain the winery’s methods and the character of the wines. The family setting should appeal to you if you prefer a working estate to a large visitor center. It also gives Chris a useful chance to compare traditional Austrian varieties with the French grapes tasted at Kapitel Zwei.

The 45-minute visit is the longest winery stop on the schedule. That extra time matters because it allows the tasting to breathe a little. Still, the full tour moves quickly, so do not expect a long meal, a broad estate walk, or a full cellar tour unless the timing allows it.

Feldtheorie and the new generation of Kamptal makers

In Schoenberg am Kamp, you visit Weingut Feldtheorie, run by Ulrike Filp and Robert Bormuth with help from friends and family. Their route into wine began during studies in natural sciences, when a trip to New Zealand sparked their interest in winemaking.

After their studies, they completed internships in Germany, Australia, and Austria before settling in the region. They later bought vineyard parcels in the neighboring Kamptal area and began building their own operation.

I find this stop valuable because it shows a newer path into Austrian winemaking. Mantlerhof connects you with a family estate spanning many generations. Feldtheorie represents people who came to wine through science, travel, and practical training abroad, then brought those experiences back to local vineyards.

Their stated aim is to express the character of Kamptal through the wines. That gives you a useful question to ask during the tasting: what does the winemaker want you to notice about this area, and how does that goal affect the cellar work?

The stop lasts about 30 minutes. That is enough for an introduction and tasting, but it is another reason to keep your expectations realistic. You will sample and talk, not spend hours studying every corner of the property.

WeinSchach in Langenlois and the art of organic bubbles

The final winery visit takes you to WeinSchach in Langenlois, a producer devoted to sparkling wine. The winery works from a simple idea: nature should supply what the wine needs, and the wine should develop freely in the bottle.

WeinSchach is aiming for Pet Nat that can compete with more established sparkling styles. Pet Nat, short for pétillant naturel, is bottled before fermentation is fully complete, allowing natural carbonation to develop in the bottle. The method can produce wines with lively texture and a less predictable personality than conventional sparkling wine.

The winery experiments rather than treating one formula as final. Its production is organic, the grapes are harvested by hand, and the bottles are disgorged by hand. That last step removes sediment after the wine has finished its work in the bottle.

This stop is particularly useful if you already enjoy sparkling wine or want to understand why natural wine methods can produce such varied results. You can ask about the balance between control and freedom, and how the producer decides when a bottle is ready.

The visit lasts about 40 minutes. It rounds out the day nicely because the four producers do not all make wine in the same way. You move from French varieties and amphora, to classic Austrian grapes, to a young Kamptal project, and finally to organic bottle-fermented sparkling wine.

The short walk to Ausblick am Welterbesteig

The tour finishes with a 7 to 10 minute walk through vineyards to a viewing point over the region. The walk is short, but it changes the mood after the cellar visits.

You see the slopes and river country that gave the wines their setting. That helps turn abstract talk about elevation, soil, and vineyard position into something you can grasp with your own eyes. It is also a good place to pause before returning to Krems.

Do not treat this as a strenuous hike. Still, the tour requires some walking, and the physical requirements note a moderate fitness level. Wear practical shoes, especially if the path is uneven or damp.

What the $114.02 price gets you

At $114.02 per person, this is not the cheapest way to taste Austrian wine. The value comes from the private format and the range of access. You are not paying only for a few pours. You are paying for Chris’s time, transport between several producers, introductions to small wineries, and a guided look at how different winemakers work.

The cost makes the most sense for someone who would otherwise spend a full day arranging trains, taxis, winery appointments, and tastings. It also suits a couple or small group that values conversation and personal attention more than a large commercial venue.

Wine purchases are not listed as part of the price, and you should view any bottles you buy as an extra expense. Some wines may be limited because the producers are small. That is part of the appeal, but it also means you should not assume every bottle will be available later.

The tour has earned a five-star rating from 20 published ratings, with 100 percent recommending it. More important for your decision is the pattern behind that response: the strongest praise centers on Chris’s warmth, his ability to answer technical questions, the personal welcome at the wineries, and the chance to taste unusual or hard-to-find wines.

Who will get the most from this experience

I would choose this tour if you want wine explained by people who make it, not just poured by someone reading a tasting sheet. It is a good match for:

• Wine enthusiasts who want more than standard Grüner Veltliner and Riesling
• Couples looking for a countryside outing from Vienna
• Small groups that enjoy asking questions
• Anyone interested in organic farming, natural wine, or small-batch production
• Sommeliers and serious wine students seeking contact with independent producers
• Visitors who want Danube scenery and village settings alongside tasting

You do not need advanced wine knowledge. Chris can explain the process from young vines through bottling, and the producers discuss their choices in direct terms.

I would think twice if you dislike small rooms, cellar visits, or walking on vineyard paths. The experience is also less suitable if you want a leisurely day with long breaks between tastings. At about three hours, it packs a lot into a short period.

Service animals are allowed, and the meeting area is near public transportation. Confirmation arrives within 48 hours, subject to availability. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time, but changes or cancellations inside that window are not refunded.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want an intimate introduction to Austrian wine country and like the idea of meeting small producers through a working winemaker. The strongest reasons are the private setting, the range of winemaking styles, and the chance to taste wines connected directly to their vineyards and cellars.

I would especially recommend it from Vienna if you are happy to make the train or boat ride to Krems part of the day. You get a scenic route, a focused wine program, and a final viewpoint rather than a rushed tasting room stop in the city.

Skip it if you want a broad commercial selection, a full-day vineyard picnic, or a slow schedule. For a curious wine drinker who values personal contact and sustainable production, though, the $114.02 price is fair. It gives you a much better sense of how Austrian wine is made, and who is making it now.

FAQ

Where does the wine tour begin?

The tour begins at Bahnhofplatz 2, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria. Pickup can be arranged flexibly, including at the Krems train station or boat station.

Can I take the tour from Vienna?

Yes. You can travel from Vienna to Krems by direct train or arrive by boat from Vienna, then meet Chris in Krems. You are responsible for arranging the connection to the meeting point.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately three hours. About 2.5 hours are spent on the tour itself, with roughly 30 minutes used for driving between locations.

Which wineries are included?

The scheduled stops are Kapitel Zwei in Kremsleithen, Mantlerhof in Gedersdorf, Weingut Feldtheorie in Schoenberg am Kamp, and WeinSchach in Langenlois. The tour finishes with a short walk to a viewing point at Ausblick am Welterbesteig.

Is the tour physically demanding?

Some hiking is required, including a 7 to 10 minute walk through vineyards to the final viewpoint. A moderate level of physical fitness is recommended, and the tour is not recommended for anyone unable to walk down into a cellar or uncomfortable in small rooms.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the experience starts for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.