Our Background
Fritz & Frieda Grüner Veltliner is a family affair and a matter of the heart. We, Christina, Robert, Kerstin and Markus Schodl, cultivate roughly 60 hectares ofvineyards in Austria’s Weinviertel. Our two families stem from an extensive winegrowers’ “clan“ in the small town of Poysdorf. Six generations of winegrowers before us, including our common ancestor Fritz and his fascinating Frieda, have laid the foundation for our two wineries. Today, three generations work together in the vineyards to ensure they are tended with diligence and utmost care.
Our vineyards are situated in some of the best terroirs in and around Poysdorf and are mainly planted with Grüner Veltliner. Our four winegrowing backgrounds couldn’t differ more, and we have each taken our individual journeys, which have all culminated in continuing the family tradition of winegrowing.
Our childhood memories of vineyard work and harvest time positively impacted each of us – we may have pursued different professional paths, but we have all returned to making wine ourselves. Together we have copious formal training and know-how, extensive tasting experience, and we have all travelled the world for wine. Fritz & Frieda Wines evolved from our idea to best use our available resources and to share our passion for wine, creative ideas and expertise – and to simply have a good time working together with people we like. Sustainability and respecting the environment are key aspects of our daily life and work. For us, working sustainably is not only a phrase but rather an integral part of how we live and a guiding philosophy for how we run our wineries.
For example, through mixed farming we use cover crops from our family’s organic agriculture to foster biodiversity in our vineyards. In order to make the most of available resources, our two wineries share machinery and expertise. We repair rather than replace vineyard machinery and equipment whenever possible. By taking small steps towards a comprehensive, sustainable approach to living and winegrowing, we aim to preserve our viticulture heritage and cultural landscape for many generations to come.