About us
Discovering the world of wines together
Hans
Uli
Marie-Theres
Eugen
From back then
until today…
Winemaking was first documented in Hohenwarth in 1360. The SETZER winery was founded in 1705. In the beginning, the family concentrated on crop and livestock farming with just a few smaller vineyards on the side. The farm was finally leased out, turning SETZER into a pure winery and vineyard in 2001.
The name Hohenwarth is derived from the German word “Hohe Warte” for a watchtower or observatory at a high vantage point and refers to the fortified Roman church from the eleventh century at 400 metres above sea level. Hohenwarth is located significantly higher in terms of sea level than the neighbouring Kamptal and Wagram regions, thus providing a very special microclimate for our wines.
All our grapes, including those additionally purchased, are sourced from vineyards within two kilometres around our winery in Hohenwarth. Benefitting from the same climate, we reinforce their character by adding selected single vineyards. Although it does not rain a lot in the region (400 litres per year on average), there are no irrigation systems. This is why our vines have grown deep roots to prevent any water shortage during extended dry periods.
The SETZER family’s about 75 acres of vineyards produce wines that are exported to a total of 18 countries in the world, ranging from the United States and Canada in the west to China and Australia in the east. Not only do we cultivate our wine but also contacts to 3* Michelin restaurants as well as SETZER fans in Ibiza’s best restaurants.
We take care of our vineyards, flowers, bushes, bees, wild birds, earthworms, etc. This has been conformed with a certificate for sustainability!
We double our photovoltaics, place more nest boxes for different bird species, our palettes are wrapped with sugar cane foil, we use recycled paper, our employees receive fair payment of course and we regularly donate for charitable purposes.
Nevertheless, there is still enough place for improvement!
Since the vintage 2021 our wines are 100% plant-based. This was confirmed by the Autrian Vegan Society with a certificate. We monthly donate so several animal rights groups and we donate food to animal shelters. In our vineyards we try to offer a more and more attractive living environment for wild animals.
So the vegan certification isn’t just for marketing purposes, we really believe in it!