Franz Hirtzberger

The Climb

In Spitz, Wachau, Austria, Weingut Franz Hirtzberger is worked as both family house and technical discipline, and Franz Hirtzberger’s role as winemaker and co-runner sits inside that structure. The estate’s conditions are demanding; the work is to read them closely and carry them through to bottle without losing shape. That means vineyard, cellar, and the day-to-day decisions between them, all in service of a house style built over time.

Today

Grüner Veltliner and Riesling remain the estate’s central varieties, and Franz Hirtzberger continues as winemaker and co-runner of the same house in Spitz. The emphasis is on clarity, structure, and balance across the vintage, with the work judged by how well those elements hold together. Honivogl sits at the center of that thinking. When Franz Hirtzberger says, “The 'Honivogl' is always the best that we achieve in a wine year,” he is setting a benchmark rather than offering decoration: the bottling marks the point where seasonal conditions, estate discipline, and cellar judgment align. His further description — “It is the essence of the effort and meticulousness that we invest in this wine.” — frames the wine as a concentrated measure of the labor behind it.

Signature

Franz's signature wines include Grüner Veltliner Honivogl Smaragd, Grüner Veltliner Rotes Tor, Singerriedel Riesling Smaragd, Grüner Veltliner Kirchweg Smaragd, and Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd. Together, these names trace a line through the estate’s most recognized expressions, each one carrying the unmistakable emphasis on site, variety, and the polished intensity that has come to define the house.

In Their Words “Of course we feel climate change in Spitz. That tends to lead to an earlier harvest, because the blossom comes earlier, but with similarly high ripeness.” “It is the essence of the effort and meticulousness that we invest in this wine.”

Recognition

He has said of 2023: "I am very happy with 2023 as a total work of art and with every wine from us." The phrase captures both the satisfaction of a successful season and the sense of wholeness he brings to the vintage, viewing it as a unified creation rather than a series of separate bottles. He has also addressed climate change directly in relation to Spitz: "Of course we feel climate change in Spitz. That tends to lead to an earlier harvest, because the blossom comes earlier, but with similarly high ripeness." The comment places his work squarely in the present tense of the region, where changing seasons alter timing and pace, yet still demand the same uncompromising attention to ripeness, balance, and the character of the wine.