Johannes Zillinger

Niederösterreich, Austria

Biodynamically hand farming 18ha of Austrian vines, an hour northeast of Vienna, is a jubilant young man named Johannes Zillinger. His cleverly crafted wines are a window into lesser explored area. And his ingenuity as a farmer and winemaker have gained purchase from Japan to Scandinavia to New York. And now Western Canada.

As a 3rd generation vigneron, Johannes Zillinger inherited his cellars from his Father in 2013, though their winery reaches back 350 years. Johannes has lived in the organic mindset since he was born. His father was an early adopter of organic wine farming. Certified organic since 1984. Johannes grew up in the organic mindset. In 2011, before he took over the estate, he made a pilgrimage to the birthplace of wine, the Republic of Georgia in the Caucasus. Here he discovered small wineries that were tending the vine and cellaring wine in these ancient, minimalist ways, and when he tasted the product he found a vitality he longed for in his own wines. He decided organics did not go far enough to achieving this vibrancy and thus converted the vineyards to biodynamic viticulture immediately upon taking the reins, continuing in his Father’s footsteps to advance toward an agriculture of balance. He learned to embrace and trust in nature. His vineyards swarm with life, striving toward an ecological harmony with the environment at large.

Zillinger’s cellars are on a residential street, sandwiched between two humble little houses in the tiny Austrian village of Velm-Götzendorf, just ten minutes east from the border with Slovakia. Though his edenic vineyards lay firmly in Austria’s largest DAC, Weinviertel, famous for it’s peppery and youthful Grüner Veltliners, Zillinger eschews the appellation for a few good reasons:

• Zillinger’s soils are unique from most of the expansive appellation
• He farms biodynamically.
• Zillinger’s winemaking is unique from the style the DAC is associated with, making extensive use of qvevri, skin contact whites, spontaneous ferments with native yeast, foot treading his grapes, and lots of bâtonnage, all while using minimal sulphur and bottling his wines unfined and unfiltered.
• Zillinger’s wines are far more experimental and boundary pushing than the cheap-and-cheerful connotations the Weinviertel DAC is largely known for.

Johannes’s wines range from the glou glou (his village named “Velue” series) to the austere and serious (his single-vineyard single-varietal “Reflexion” series) to the playfully experimental (his multi-vintage zero/zero solera blends, the “Revolution” series). Johannes and his family produce 8300 cases of gorgeous wine each year under Demeter's biodynamic certification. He is part of a group of over 100 biodynamic farmers in the Austrian/Slovakian area that combine resources to collectively make their preparations. With those tools and principles in hand, he brings forth truly fine wines from white varieties like Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gelber Muskateller, Scheurebe, Chardonnay and red varieties like Zweigelt, St. Laurent, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rösler, Syrah.

Don't miss your opportunity to try these joyful wines wherever you see them available and  If you want to know more about the characteristics of this area you can take a look at www.vinerra.com

"The movement has spread farther northeast, toward the Slovakian border, in Weinviertel. Here, biodynamic winemaker Johannes Zillinger makes his own sprays from essential oils made using flowers that grow right underneath his vines. He doesn’t believe in buying clones or plant material but prefers cuttings from his vineyards. 

“If I want a new variety, I regraft it from my own vineyards,” he says. The resulting wines are vibrant with mineral elements. 

"Zillinger plays with different maceration lengths, too, leaving the wine on skins for up to 11 months in select cases. Some of his wines are products of his self-built solera system, and he has a cuvée line called Perpetuum, where wines are aged under the film of yeast, giving them distinctive salty flavors."

— Wine Enthusiast, 09/2022