Taste and Tour Small Organic Wineries with a Winemaker

The best part of this tour is its close look at small-scale Austrian winemaking. Rather than stopping at a large commercial estate, Chris takes you to tiny producers where the people making the wine also explain the soil, harvest, fermentation, and bottling. You taste wines at several stages, including young cellar samples and finished bottles.

I like the personal format and the mix of established family production with new experiments such as Kapitel Zwei’s amphora-aged French grapes. I also like the final vineyard walk, where the Danube region opens below you. The main consideration is that this is a compact, wine-focused outing with cellar visits and some walking, not a sightseeing tour with long stops at major landmarks.

Key points to know before booking

• Chris leads a private, personal tour: He is connected to the local wine community and also works with vineyards himself.
• Four very different wine stops: You visit Kapitel Zwei, Mantlerhof, Feldtheorie, and WeinSchach, each with a distinct approach.
• Organic and small-production wines are central: Expect experiments with amphora, natural fermentation, Grüner Veltliner, Roter Veltliner, Riesling, and Pet Nat.
• Krems is the meeting point: You can arrive by direct train from Vienna, by boat, or coordinate another meeting place.
• The tour runs about three hours: Roughly 2.5 hours are spent at the wine stops and viewpoint, with about 30 minutes in the vehicle.
• Some walking and tight cellar spaces are involved: Moderate fitness is advised, and the tour is not suited to anyone uncomfortable walking into cellars or spending time in small rooms.

Why this wine tour feels different from a standard tasting

Austria’s wine country is easy to visit from Vienna, but a good experience depends on access. A large tasting room can give you polished information and a broad menu of bottles. This tour takes a different route. Chris brings you into working family cellars and small ventures where the winemakers are still testing methods, making decisions parcel by parcel, and explaining why a bottle tastes the way it does.

That makes the experience especially useful if you want to understand Austrian wine rather than simply drink it. You can ask about vine selection, soil, harvest timing, fermentation, single-vineyard bottling, and the choice between steel, amphora, or bottle fermentation. The hosts are not just pouring samples. They are explaining the work behind them.

Chris is the guide and winemaker at the center of the day. He has a personal connection to the local producers and works with or rents several small vineyard parcels himself. That matters because the conversation is not limited to textbook wine facts. You can ask practical questions about the modern Austrian wine business, organic farming, or what happens when a producer tries something unusual.

The private format is another strength. Only your group participates, so the pace can respond to your interests. If you are curious about fermentation, you can spend more time there. If you prefer vineyard views and local history, the day can lean in that direction. This flexibility is much harder to get on a large coach tour.

Starting in Krems beside the Danube

The meeting point is Bahnhofplatz 2 in Krems an der Donau, close to the train station. From Vienna, a direct train is a practical choice, and the ride along the Danube gives you a pleasant introduction to the region before the tastings even begin. Chris can meet you at the station.

You can also arrive from Vienna by boat and meet at the boat station. If neither option works, the pickup arrangement is flexible and can be coordinated in advance. That flexibility is helpful, but do not treat it as a door-to-door Vienna tour by default. You need to plan your own connection to Krems unless a different pickup has been arranged.

The drive between the wine stops takes about 30 minutes in total. The rest of the three-hour outing is used for tastings, cellar visits, vineyard context, and the final walk. The schedule is active but not punishing. You are moving through several nearby areas instead of spending half the day in a vehicle.

The tour is offered Monday through Saturday, from noon to 7 p.m., during the listed operating period from November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2026. Confirmation is sent within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability. Since the activity is often reserved well ahead, booking early is sensible if your Vienna dates are fixed.

Kapitel Zwei at Kremsleithen: a young vineyard with old roots

The first stop takes you uphill through the wine roads to Kremsleithen, around 300 meters above sea level. The setting gives you an immediate feel for the steep slopes that shape this part of Austria. Leiten refers to a steep slope in German, and Kremsleithen runs down toward the Krems River.

The site was first recorded in 1266, but the current vineyard story is much newer. The parcel had been abandoned for decades and was replanted in May 2022. That contrast is one of the most interesting details of the visit: you are seeing a place with centuries of agricultural memory and a very young crop.

Kapitel Zwei, or Chapter Two, is a micro-winery built around experimentation. It grows French grape varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, and Sémillon using organic and sustainable methods. The wine is aged in amphora and steel tanks, so you get a chance to think about how vessel choice affects texture, aroma, and development.

The grapes are handpicked from the single vineyard, or ried, called Kremsleithen. A single-site focus lets the producer ask a clear question: what can this specific slope and soil produce? The ground includes loamy, sandy soil and clay.

This is a short stop, listed at about 20 minutes, but it can be one of the most educational. The visit may include samples at different points in fermentation and finished wine, giving you a rare side-by-side look at how a wine changes. If you like traditional Austrian varieties only, the French grapes may be less familiar. That is also the point. Kapitel Zwei is for people interested in where Austrian winemaking might go next.

Mantlerhof: family winemaking near the Kamp River

Mantlerhof brings a different mood. This is a long-established family winery in Brunn im Felde, in the municipality of Gedersdorf, near the Kamp River before it joins the Danube. The estate sits by a village pond, in an old manor with an early classical facade.

The Mantler family has worked here for more than 200 years, with winemaking roots reaching back to 1365. That long connection gives this stop a sense of continuity, but the focus is not simply on old stories. The family farms 15 hectares and produces organic wines designed to age well.

The main varieties are Grüner Veltliner and Roter Veltliner. Grüner Veltliner is Austria’s best-known white grape, often valued for its freshness and food-friendly character. Roter Veltliner is less familiar internationally, so this is a good place to broaden your understanding of Austrian wine beyond the usual bottle of Grüner.

You spend about 45 minutes here, making it one of the longer stops. That gives the host time to explain the winery’s work and pour a useful range of samples. If you want to compare a traditional family estate with the newer methods at Kapitel Zwei, the contrast is clear.

The setting also adds a local touch. You are not tasting in an anonymous industrial room. You are arriving in a village center, passing a pond and an old manor, and seeing how wine production fits into everyday settlement patterns around Krems.

Feldtheorie in Schönberg am Kamp

The visit to Weingut Feldtheorie adds a younger voice to the tour. Ulrike Filp and Robert Bormuth discovered wine while studying natural sciences and traveling in New Zealand. After internships in Germany, Australia, and Austria, they bought vineyard parcels in the neighboring Kamptal region.

Their scientific background gives this stop a useful angle. You can expect a focus on how the vineyard and cellar work together, with attention to the character of the Kamptal. They work with family and friends, and their stated aim is to pass on the distinct qualities of the region through their wines.

This is listed as a 30-minute stop, long enough for a focused introduction and tasting. It is not presented as a grand estate tour. The appeal is direct contact with a small producer still shaping a personal style.

For you, the value is comparison. At Mantlerhof, you see a family winery with many generations behind it. At Feldtheorie, you meet people who came to winemaking through science, travel, and hands-on training abroad. Both approaches can produce serious wine, but the reasons behind the wines are different.

WeinSchach in Langenlois: handmade sparkling wine

The last winery stop is WeinSchach in Langenlois, a producer devoted to sparkling wine. The winery works biologically, harvests by hand, and disgorges its bottles. Its ambition is to make Pet Nat that can be considered alongside high-quality sparkling wines.

Pet Nat, short for pétillant naturel, finishes fermentation in the bottle. It can have a lively, less polished personality than conventional sparkling wine, and each producer handles the process with care and risk. WeinSchach’s approach is experimental. The team tests different possibilities and is willing to return to the beginning when a method does not work.

The visit lasts about 40 minutes. This is a good place to ask about how bubbles form, why bottle fermentation can be unpredictable, and how disgorging changes the final wine. You are also tasting a style that differs from the still Grüner Veltliner and Riesling commonly associated with the region.

If you prefer very familiar sparkling wine, Pet Nat may feel rustic or surprising. That is worth knowing before you book. If you like small-production bottles and want to see how producers challenge standard methods, this stop may be a highlight.

The vineyard walk and Danube viewpoint

The tour ends with a seven to ten-minute walk through vineyards to a viewpoint called Ausblick am Welterbesteig. The walk is short, but the ground may not be as easy as a paved city street. Wear shoes you can comfortably use on vineyard paths and cellar floors.

The reward is a broad view over the wine region. The final stop helps connect all the tasting talk to a real place. You have heard about slopes, river valleys, parcels, and soil. Now you can look across the area and see how the vineyards occupy the hills around the Danube and nearby rivers.

This is also the moment to slow down. Four winery visits in three hours can feel full, especially if you ask many questions. The viewpoint gives the day a calm finish before you return to the meeting point in Krems.

What the $114 price includes in practical terms

At $114.02 per person, this is not the cheapest way to have a glass of Austrian wine. It is a fair price if you want a private, guided introduction to several small producers and their working methods.

The value comes from access and interpretation. You are not paying only for a few pours. You are getting transportation between rural stops, a guide with direct winemaking experience, introductions to producers, and the chance to taste wines that may not be easy to find in Vienna. The private setup also means your questions can shape the day.

The cost makes less sense if you only want a quick tasting or a standard overview of Austrian varieties. You could find a wine bar in Vienna for less money and spend your time more casually. This tour is aimed at people who want to leave the city and understand how wine is made in its home region.

Bring a sensible appetite for tasting, but do not expect the experience to be a full meal. The supplied details describe wine tastings, vineyard visits, cellar time, and transportation, not lunch. Plan food around the tour if you need it.

Who should book this experience

I would choose this for a couple, solo visitor, or small group that enjoys asking questions and trying wines outside the standard international lineup. It is also a good fit for anyone who wants a countryside day from Vienna without signing up for a large group excursion.

Wine students, serious enthusiasts, and sommeliers will find plenty to examine. The tour covers organic farming, single-vineyard wine, amphora aging, steel tanks, natural sparkling wine, and both classic and less familiar Austrian grapes.

It also suits people who care about personal contact. The winemakers are present at the stops, and Chris can tailor the conversation to your interests. If you want to know why one producer blends parcels while another bottles a single site, this is the kind of outing that gives you a real answer.

I would not choose it for anyone who dislikes wine talk, small rooms, or short walks on uneven ground. The tour is not designed around major monuments, long free time, or a relaxed restaurant lunch. It is a concentrated look at local wine production.

The activity requires moderate physical fitness. You may need to walk into a cellar, and small rooms are part of the setting. Service animals are allowed, and the meeting point is near public transportation.

Should you book the Krems wine tour?

Book it if you want personal access to Austrian winemakers, a private setting, and a clear look at both tradition and experimentation. The mix of Mantlerhof’s long family story, Kapitel Zwei’s young French vines, Feldtheorie’s science-minded approach, and WeinSchach’s Pet Nat makes the three hours feel varied.

I would especially recommend it to someone based in Vienna who wants a worthwhile day outside the city and is comfortable arranging the train or boat to Krems. The tour’s strongest features are Chris’s personal connection to the producers, the chance to taste wines at different stages, and the final view over the vineyards.

Skip it if your main goal is famous sights, a large winery with polished facilities, or a leisurely meal. For a curious wine drinker, though, the price buys more than tasting notes. It gives you a direct look at the people, parcels, and choices behind Austrian wine.

FAQ

Where does the tour begin?

The tour begins at Bahnhofplatz 2, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria. Chris can meet you at the Krems train station.

Can I travel from Vienna by train?

Yes. You can take a direct train from Vienna to Krems, and the ride follows the Danube. Chris can meet you at the station.

Can I arrive by boat from Vienna?

Yes. You can arrive in Krems by boat from Vienna and arrange to meet Chris at the boat station.

How long does the experience last?

The experience lasts approximately three hours. About 2.5 hours are spent at the wine stops and viewpoint, with around 30 minutes spent driving between locations.

Which wineries are included?

The tour includes Kapitel Zwei Wine at Kremsleithen, Weingut Mantlerhof, Weingut Feldtheorie in Schönberg am Kamp, and WeinSchach in Langenlois. It ends with a short walk to a viewpoint along the Welterbesteig.

What kind of wine will I taste?

The tour includes French varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, and Sémillon, along with Grüner Veltliner and Roter Veltliner. You may also taste Riesling, other local wines, and Pet Nat sparkling wine.

Is walking required?

Yes. The tour includes a seven to ten-minute vineyard walk to a viewpoint, and some cellar walking is required. Moderate physical fitness is advised.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Changes or cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.