A Warm, Calcareous Gravel Terrace on Höflein's Danube Escarpment

Bärnreiser

Bärnreiser sits in the municipality of Höflein, on the eastern edge of the Danube gravel terrace where the Arbesthal hills break toward the river, without a direct forest boundary above it. It is one of the warmest sites in Carnuntum and among the region's best known. Although it lies within Höflein's boundaries, about 90 percent of its roughly 30 hectares is held by growers from the neighboring village of Göttlesbrunn.

The name records the ground's character before it was planted. It derives from the Middle High German "Reisern," a reference to the scrub and brushwood that was the only natural vegetation on this barren, stony, hot slope.

Soil and Exposure

The site faces broadly south to southwest on a gentle incline, but it is large and far from uniform. Growers describe a flattened upper plateau that gives way to sections of differing steepness before the land levels off near the road to Höflein.

The soils divide by elevation. The upper slope carries quartz gravel and fine scree that in places caps finer-grained Miocene (Pannonian) deposits of clay-silt and sand; lower sections hold more humus and loam. Throughout, the ground is very calcareous, and beneath the stony surface the soil runs deep. That depth matters in hot vintages: roots reach the cooler, moister clay and loam below, which helps the site hold freshness and stretch out ripening. Producers here note that they often harvest around ten days later than in neighboring Burgenland.

Classification

Bärnreiser is a classified Erste Lage, carrying the ÖTW's 1ÖTW mark. Carnuntum's producers presented their first red Erste Lagen in September 2019, when nine sites were classified: Kirchweingarten, Steinäcker, Aubühl and Bärnreiser in Höflein; Rosenberg, Schüttenberg, Haidacker and Stuhlwerker in Göttlesbrunn; and Spitzerberg in Prellenkirchen. The designation followed the ÖTW's usual review of a site's historical standing, reputation and market relevance. In Carnuntum, the Erste Lage rank applies specifically to wines made from Zweigelt or Blaufränkisch, or blends of the two.

That rule reflects the region's grammar rather than everything grown on the hill. Bärnreiser also carries Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, St. Laurent, and small plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, but the classified bottlings turn on its two signature reds. Both Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch behave distinctly here, shaped by the warm, calcareous gravel, and differently again from how they show in cooler Carnuntum sites.

Growers and Wines

Several Göttlesbrunn estates bottle single-vineyard Bärnreiser. Philipp Grassl farms eight parcels across the site and matches variety to ground, placing Merlot on the gravelly plateau and Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt on the loamier slopes; his 2019 was rated 95 points by Falstaff. Walter Glatzer bottles a Ried Bärnreiser Blaufränkisch. Christine und Franz Netzl produce their "Anna-Christina" from the site, and Weingut Pimpel bottles a Bärnreiser as well.

This comprehensive guide is part of the WineSaint Wine Region Guide collection. Last updated: September 2026.