Franz Wechselberger

The Climb

At Unterinntal Wein in Kolsassberg, Tirol, Austria, the work is built on patience, repetition, and attention to site. Franz Wechselberger marks the start in a summer he says set the pace for what followed: “Es war der heiße Sommer 2013 als ich begann ein bar Reben einzusetzen, Jahr für Jahr wurden es immer mehr.” From that first planting onward, the project has advanced season by season, with vineyard and cellar developing as one compact practice. In 2016, the first wine was made, and Wechselberger called it drinkable. The phrase is plain, but it points to a clear milestone in a small-scale process: vines first, then wine, with both sides of the work held within the same place.

Today

The winemaker role at Unterinntal Wein still sits with Franz Wechselberger, and the work remains close to the pace of the land. His own wording is direct: “My name is Franz Wechselberger and i have the lizense to make Wine.” It reads like a statement of responsibility rather than promotion, from the first bar of vines through to the finished bottle. At Unterinntal Wein, that continuity is the point. The site, the season, and the cellar stay in the same frame, and each decision is made with the next harvest in view.

Signature

Cabernet Cortis, Souvignier Gris, Weißer Meranser, Chardonnay aus der Silberregion, and Meranser Reatl define the range here. Taken together, they suggest a cellar that works within a compact set of names, with selection rather than sprawl shaping the list.

In Their Words “My name is Franz Wechselberger and I have the lizense to make wine.” Those lines place the emphasis where the work already is: in a small vineyard, tended with care, and carried forward into wine without breaking the link between growing and making.