Christina Netzl
Christina Netzl, the congenial winemaker behind the Christina wines, speaks about her personal journey in such a compelling, passionate and sweet way that we’ll just let her do the talking here: “I grew up with my sister on the mixed family-run farm owned by my parents and grandparents, cultivating different grains, corn, sugar beets, breeding pigs and growing some vines. Lending a hand almost everywhere on the farm, I fell in love with wine production (and snacking on food from our gardens and the neighborhood) at a very early age. I loved being in the vineyards, helping in the cellar, and telling our customers the stories behind the wines. My future occupation was crystal clear to me: I am becoming a vintner!”
“My parents later focused fully on wine-growing and gradually built up the winery to the 28 hectares we have now. I learned everything about “classical” wine production from my father while working alongside him in the vineyards and the cellar. But, fascinated by all the microbiological processes behind the scenes, I decided to gain more knowledge by studying enology and wine management. An internship for a London wine importer was such an eye-opening moment: it is where I got to know sooo many different wines and styles from all over the world, unbeknown to me before.”
“Fascinated by this diversity and impressed by organically produced wines from small producers all over the world, I decided to focus on finding the typical style of our wine-growing region Carnuntum when I joined my parents back home at the winery in 2007. Increasingly concerned about soil conditions, micro-climates, and nature in the vineyards, my husband and I decided to gradually turn our vineyards organic in 2013. (The fact of raising our two little daughters had a strong influence as well, as you can imagine.) The shift took us around three years; in 2018, we asked for official organic certification.”
“Over the years, I’ve also been experimenting with different low-intervention methods in the cellar. I fell in love with them and the living wines they yield, and I ended up adding my own range of natural wines to the more classical ones ‘inherited’ from my father.”
And that’s how our paths crossed: Jenny was looking for a tasty and lively natural wine from typical Austrian varieties and Christina and her Carnuntum soils offer exactly that! We said yes and never looked back, as Christina wines quickly became one of the most popular bottles in our book thanks to their indisputable drinkability and eye-catching labels, which joyfully celebrate the beneficial critters living in the vineyards. As Jenny puts it herself: “The labels of Christina wines, art-directed by my husband, are a tribute to the beneficiary insects that inhabit the vineyards. Not all bugs are bad – these useful little critters help manage pests and build soil health and biodiversity, which is so important in natural winemaking!”
(Bio from importer Jenny and Francois)
