
Allow me to hold a spotlight onto a wonderful family with a long tradition in viticulture and a jewel-box of a winery to our readers: Sepp Moser. My grandmother grew up in Rohrendorf and she used to tell me stories about playing with the Moser children in their vineyards, so this is very personal to me. I also invite you to try some of Niki Moser's biodynamically produced wines, such as the Zweigelt Reserve, or the Gruener Veltliner Gebling, one of my favorite food matches of all times, or the exotic Beerenauslese from Lake Neusiedel.

His twin sons, Laurenz und Sepp, took over the estate in the second half of the 20th century. They divided their tasks: Sepp Moser was in charge of cultivation of the vines; Laurenz Moser was responsible for wine vinification. The Lenz Moser winery had the reputation of being a pioneer, whose wines were exported to countries all over the globe. However, in the mid-1980s, nearly all of Austria´s export market collapsed due to the country´s "wine scandal", and the Lenz Moser winery was faced with economic difficulties and, finally, had to be sold.
A new wine estate is born
As
a consequence, Sepp Moser decided to go his own way. He reduced the
number of family vineyards in Rohrendorf, in the Kremstal area, and in
Apetlon at Lake Neusiedl, keeping only the best sites. Then he
ambitiously dedicated himself to creating exquisite wines full of
character from a new total of 33 hectares (82 acres) of vineyards. He
also took over the Atrium House in Rohrendorf, where the Moser Family
had once lived, and turned the home's regular cellar into a wine
cellar. Thus, in 1987, he founded the new estate "Sepp Moser". It is
one of Austria's youngest estates, but at the same time, it looks back
on 150 years of viticultural tradition.
Today, the
enterprise is run by Sepp's son, Nikolaus, who sticks to the structure
established by his father and cultivates vineyards in Lower Austria as
well as in Burgenland. After having completed his secondary education,
Nikolaus Moser studied Wine Management in Krems, Austria, plus acquired
valuable experience through several internships in Burgundy und
Bordeaux. In 1991, Nikolaus began assisting his father in the
enterprise, and in 2000 assumed complete responsibility.
Back to the Roots
Nikolaus
Moser is devoted to regional wine growing, especially the expression of
the soil in the two very diverse wine regions in which the Sepp Moser
vineyards are located. And while he is also a viticultural pioneer,
just like his grandfather had been, Niki Moser is now taking a very
different direction. His grandfather tried to rationalize viniculture
and adapt it to the modern times, but Niki´s focus is to cultivate
healthy vines growing on balanced, vigorous soils. The Sepp Moser
estate under the direction of Niki Moser is one of Austria's first wine
estates to have converted to biodynamic viniculture.
Niki
Moser's objective is not only to produce lively wines with a strong
personality, but also to pass healthy soils as well as a maximum of
knowledge and insight of nature on to his five children and the
following generations.