Carinthia's fine wines

Trippelgut: exquisite viticulture with a special style

The Trippelgut is located in the immediate vicinity of Lake Maltschach.(Bild: Trippelgut)

The Trippelgut estate near Feldkirchen not only impresses with its award-winning wines, but also with its modern facilities including a restaurant, hotel, seminar rooms and function rooms.

Sixteen years ago, Nikolas Trippel, the son of a lawyer and a banker, decided to dedicate himself to viticulture and planted the first vineyard near Lake Maltschach. Eight years later, the Trippelgut was already shining in modern splendor. Today, the 10.4-hectare estate has around 68,000 vines of different varieties.

Numerous gold awards received
"We see ourselves as a Burgundy winery, as our focus is on Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. But Merlot, Zweigelt, Muskateller and Sauvignon Blanc are also part of our range, and we have received numerous gold awards for the latter," says the 33-year-old. He is one of the few Carinthians to have graduated from viticulture school in Burgenland and learned the winemaking trade.

Winemaker Nikolas Trippel produces high-quality wines on his estate - also in barrique barrels.(Bild: Manuela Karner)

Trippel, who had previously trained as a chef-waiter, was mainly inspired by wine cellars in Corsica and Bordeaux. "I follow French viticulture, which means longer use of fine yeast and less acidity. The whole process therefore takes a little longer than usual, but the wines also last much longer," says the winemaker, who is also known as "the little Frenchman of Carinthia".

Tens of thousands of bottles are produced every year
Up to 80,000 bottles are bottled each year after being stored in aluminum tanks of between 500 and 5,000 liters or oak barrels. However, a lot has to be done before this can happen. "Every single vine is processed by hand at least twelve times a year. That's a lot of work."

Various white, red and, above all, sparkling wines are produced at Trippelgut.(Bild: Manuela Karner)

More than 100 upscale restaurants and hotels currently purchase wines from Trippelgut - with deliveries also made to Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Together with his partner Laura, Trippel also runs a restaurant and a hotel on his estate. The estate is also well equipped for seminars and weddings.