Schmidl winery, Wachau

Bakers and winegrowers: the Schmidl family has combined these two professions for generations. For a long time, however, the main focus was on baking and confectionery, for which the family name is renowned (Rudolf Schmidl invented the "Wachauer Laberl" bread roll in 1905), and this tradition is still maintained. Only small quantities of wine were bottled by the family and sold in the bakery. At the time, many plots were leased to famous names such as F. X. Pichler or Knoll, or the grapes were sold. All this changed in 2009, when the two businesses were separated and Theresa Harm took over winegrowing from her father. She immediately converted to organic cultivation – still very rare in the conservative Wachau – and began making more of the wines herself. It is remarkable that, in a world-famous region such as the Wachau, a winery with such potential and outstanding sites could remain unnoticed for years, like Sleeping Beauty. Thankfully, Theresa woke it up!