Domaene Lilienfeld - Lilienfelderhof - is one of the oldest wine estates in Central Europe. Situated in Pfaffstätten, 30 km south of Vienna, Austria, it traces its history to an endowment made by the Babenberger Leopold VI, Duke of Austria to the Cistercian monks at Lilienfeld Abbey in 1202, though the buildings as such are traditionally dated to 1209. In 2006 Domaene Lilienfeld was acquired by the Hildebrand Private Foundation, on the basis of a 99-year leasehold. The foundation is currently in the process of restoring and revitalising both the numerous buildings and 20 hectares of vineyards.
History
Agricultural and economic activities carried out by the Cistercianreligious order in distinct locations from the mother monastery were concentrated around so-called “granges” —enclosed estates housing a church, manor house, additional residences, a well, buildings for agricultural and economic activities, a mill, frequently fish ponds, and sometimes a tavern. Here monks, together with non-religious stewards, managed the abbey's affairs in the region, primarily agriculture and viticulture. Thus Domaene Lilienfeld is home to a gothic church seating around 100 persons, a manor house, a wine tavern, and an array of other buildings. Probably on account of its ecclesiastical owners, Domaene Lilienfeld has played an important role in private and public life in Pfaffstätten and the Thermenregion. During the Russian occupation of parts of Austria following WWII starving people were fed from a secret kitchen inside the estate. During the same era a Cistercian monk from the estate survived being shot by a Russian soldier while defending a woman from attack. Many other people have at some time worked or lived on the estate or attended kindergarten there, since for some years the local kindergarten was housed in the estate’s manor house. It is of historical interest to note that, until its suppression in 1782, the Kartause Gaming itself owned extensive vineyards in and around Pfaffstätten. Indeed, so strong was the presence of many of the great Austrian monasteries that a town was named after them, i.e.“Pfaffstätten”, literally the “city of the “Pfaffen”—“Pfaffen” being a colloquial term for clerics.
Winemaking
Grape varieties from the extended Burgundian family have traditionally flourished in the gentle warmth of the Thermenregion and the contemporary revitalisation of Domaene Lilienfeld / Lilienfelder Hof foresees a viticultural focus on these varieties, complemented by the autochthonous Rotgipfler. Currently vineyards belonging to Domaene Lilienfeld are planted with Rotgipfler, Weissburgunder, Zweigelt, as well as Zierfandler, Riesling, Welschriesling, and Neuburger. Most vineyards are south-facing. The arrival of the Cistercian monks in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries was, relative to the remarkable antiquity of the region’s viticulture, a recent development. Roman legionnaires stationed in Carnuntum and Vindobona 2,000 years ago encountered an intact tradition of winemaking to the south of Vienna, which they subsequently improved through the introduction of superior Italian grape varieties.
