Jack-of-all-trades

Originally, Matthias Hengl wanted to become a musician. Accordingly, he went to the academy of music for three years - but when he got to know too many unemployed musicians, he started producing advertisement jingles together with a friend. However, he finally took over the family business five years ago.

Since then, there’s hardly any time left for music. The winery and Heuriger had never left him with much spare time earlier – in a family business like the Hengls’, everyone has to lend a hand. Now the situation is the other way round: naturally, his father Ferdinand Hengl actively supports Matthias.

Quality by the glass

Soon had Matthias Hengl recognized the trend to high-quality wines – already at the very beginning, he produced such great wines that he was awarded “Vienna’s winemaker of the year”. Numerous other awards in Austria and abroad followed and his Heuriger, too, was awarded “Vienna’s best Heuriger” already for the second time this year. While it had been his whites that used to win in the beginning, his reds have been winning prizes in recent years, especially his Cabernet Sauvignon.

This is where Matthias Hengl benefited from his father’s vision: he had focused on single-variety vineyards from early on and had planted varieties that were then quite exotic for Vienna - like the very Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or Pinot Noir. The vines are old enough by now to return good quality harvests. So, whoever thinks that there are no great reds to be made in Vienna, may he betake himself to Grinzing, where he can order nearly all the wines by the glass at the Heuriger.

Best sites with breathtaking panoramas

The Hengls’ vineyards are situated at the best sites of Grinzing: on Hungerberg, Reisenberg and Nussberg – Vienna’s most well-known sites, famous for its mineral Rieslings. And who else can enjoy such a brilliant view all over Vienna while working in the vineyard?

The Reisenberg vineyards

Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are the dominating white varieties as they make up the open wines at the Heuriger. But also the Burgundy-varieties as well as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Gelber Muskateller make splendid wines. Cabernet Sauvignon and Zweigelt are dominating the reds, while for the time being, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir only exist in homeopathic doses. This is why Matthias’ favourite wine is neither a Barolo nor a Bordeaux but the ‘97 Zweigelt from Hengl-Haselbrunner: “I generally have a thing about Austria: we definitely are world class with our whites and we can keep up with our reds,” the winemaker emphasizes.

The entrance to the comfortable garden

Although the Hengl family has practiced winegrowing in Grinzing for about 500 years, the Heuriger situated in one of the best locations of the classy district Döbling (between Paradisgasse and Iglaseegasse) was only bought in 1976 from the Haselbrunner family, hence today’s double-barrelled name. Actually, this is one of Grinzing’s last authentic Heuriger. This is where the early focus on high quality turned out to be just the right thing: “After the introduction of the new limitation of blood-alcohol to 50 millilitres, the sale of open wines went down drastically - but not in terms of overall business volume, as our guests turned to high-quality bottled wine”, Matthias Hengl tells us, not without pride. And while most of the old Heuriger in Grinzing are turned into restaurants with the intention that more cheaply bought low-quality wine may be sold, Matthias Hengl has his focus on a tradition with a future.

Vines on Nussberg

At Hengl-Haselbrunner’s, the work in the vineyard has priority as it is “the basis for quality”, Matthias appreciates his father’s preparatory work. If you have a walk through Grinzing’s vineyards, you’ll recognize Hengl’s vineyards because of their perfect maintenance. The self-grown organic fruit and vegetable varieties, that most recipes for the delicacies of the Heuriger are based on, are treated in the same way. That’s the reason why there’s no tomato- or cucumber-salad on the menu in winter – because these vegetables simply don’t grow at this time of the year.

When asked what he’d enjoy more – being a winemaker or a host - he quickly answers: “I’d prefer to spend more time being a winemaker, but the Heuriger is quite a lot of work,” which seems logical, considering that his Heuriger does not only offer excellent food and drink but also a varied cultural program. Here, Matthias proves himself to be a musician: Viennese interpreters and Jazz musicians play concerts, regular readings are taking place. Once and again Matthias Hengl surprises his guests with cultural finesses like these. He himself thinks of these cultural events as hours of the “hedonistic Trinity of Vienna” – enjoying excellent Viennese wine and the classic Viennese cuisine together with art and culture from Vienna. “For me, every time is something special. I invite friends and we have a great time together, having a few glasses of wine, eating something nice, and listening to great music. Then we have a chat about this and that – and that’s what makes these evenings special. I don’t appreciate pompousness and over-statement. I better enjoy having it nice and small, cosy and friendly. I like it that way and my guests enjoy it, too,” Matthias tells us.

Meagre spare time

It remains a mystery how Matthias manages to have time for his hobbies apart from his vineyard, his cellar and the restaurant. Still, he daily practises the trumpet, which he enjoys most at the moment next to piano and guitar, and he still finds time for some fiddling about with electrics. Not only does he own a small but nice music studio, but he also realises other useful ideas, which help at work. He tinkered with an electric surveillance of the 21 cooling units of the Heuriger so that they “don’t always fail exactly at weekends” and to fulfil the requirements of the market authority.

The perfect grape harvest

In everything Matthias Hengl says he never fails to praise his father, who more than 30 years ago had planted continuous areas of single varieties and was one of those precursors who for years were sniggered at by their competitors. He still follows his father’s dictum “you recognise a winery’s quality by the simplest open wine”. The especially fragrant and spritzy Riesling from Reisenberg therefore doesn’t get bottled at all but goes straight into the glass.

Winery and Heuriger Hengl-Haselbrunner

A-1190 Vienna, Iglaseegasse10

Tel.: +43/1/3203330 Fax: +43/1/3208696

e-mail: office@hengl-haselbrunner.at

www.hengl-haselbrunner.at

Open from 03.30 pm to 12.00 pm

(buffet until 11.30 pm, hot food until 10.30 pm).

Tastings and guided cellar tours with advance reservation.

Closed Dec. 24th and 25th, Dec. 31st , Jan. 1st, Good Friday.

Tasting notes of the present vintage.