Wine in Mautern, Wachau

Nikolaihof Wachau ★ 4.9

Oldest documented winery in Austria (nearly 2,000 years of history) at Mautern on the south bank. Demeter biodynamic since 1971. Famous for the Vom Stein Riesling Smaragd and long-aged Hefeabzug Grüner Veltliner.

Tasting: Wine shop and tasting room at the estate; guided cellar tours available on request. Salon 77 restaurant on site.

Signature wines: nikolaihof-vom-stein-riesling-smaragd, nikolaihof-hefeabzug-gruner-smaragd, nikolaihof-vinothek-riesling

Tip: The Vinothek releases are barrel-aged wines held 10+ years before release. The estate restaurant is open seasonally.

Weingut Hutter Silberbichlerhof ★ 4.2

Seven-generation Mautern estate documented to 1748, with 14 hectares on both banks of the Danube. A Vinea Wachau member producing Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd across Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and Grauburgunder.

Tasting: Event venue (Silberbichlerhof) for private events; direct sales available.

Signature wines: hutter-loibenberg-riesling-smaragd, hutter-gruner-federspiel-mautern

Tip: The south-bank Mautern terroir adds an extra warmth to the Grüner Veltliners compared with the steep north-bank sites.

Weingut Eder Wachau ★ 4.0

Mautern estate on the south bank of the Danube, listed in the Vinea Wachau directory. Produces classic Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from south-bank parcels.

Tasting: Direct cellar sales at the Mautern estate.

Tip: The Mautern cluster including Nikolaihof is underexplored; combine a visit here with the Nikolaihof nearby.

Salon 77 - Nikolaihof Wachau ★ 4.8

The on-estate tasting salon at Austria's oldest biodynamic winery, operating by Demeter principles since 1971. Open Wednesday to Saturday for walk-in tastings of current vintages plus rare back-vintages from the Resereve Cellar.

Weinstube Nikolaihof Wachau ★ 4.8

The seasonal wine tavern at Austria's oldest winery and the first biodynamic estate in the Wachau. Open late April to early November, Wednesday to Saturday, under a century-old tree in the garden; Christine Saahs' organic Austrian menu is inseparable from the wine.

The list: Exclusively Nikolaihof biodynamic Demeter-certified wines paired with Christine Saahs' traditional Austrian organic cuisine. Back-vintage rarities available by the bottle.

Pours: Nikolaihof Riesling Smaragd, Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Spätlese, Nikolaihof im Weingebirge

Landhaus Bacher ★ 4.9

Founded by chef Lisl Wagner-Bacher in 1979 and continued by Thomas Dorfer from 2010. Awarded 2 Michelin stars in 2025. Klaus Wagner and daughter Susanne curate an exceptional wine list strong in Wachau, Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Awards: Michelin Guide Austria 2025, Gault Millau Austria 2024

Weinstube Nikolaihof Wachau ★ 4.7

Christine Saahs' organic wine restaurant at Austria's oldest winery. Open late April to early November from Wednesday, the kitchen pairs Wachau biodynamic cuisine with Nikolaihof's own estate wines under a century-old tree in the garden.

Awards: Gault Millau Austria biodynamic recognition 2024

Florianihof ★ 4.2

A well-regarded family restaurant in Mautern near the Danube crossing, serving Austrian classics with an emphasis on local sourcing. The wine list draws on Wachau and Kremstal estates and the kitchen focuses on seasonal availability.

Nikolaihof Biodynamic Cellar Tour ★ 4.8

An in-depth cellar and vineyard tour at Austria's oldest winery, tracing 2,000 years of viticulture from Roman origins to Demeter-certified biodynamic farming by the Saahs family. Back-vintage bottles from the Reserves Cellar illustrate the exceptional ageing potential of biodynamic Wachau whites.

Tip: Book directly at wein@nikolaihof.at; pairs with a meal at the Weinstube. The Roman cellar foundations visible in the vaulted cave are a rare archaeological wine-history feature.

Nikolaihof Roman Cellar Heritage ★ 4.8

Nikolaihof stands on the site of a Roman settlement dating to the 1st century AD, with intact Roman cellar foundations visible in the vaulted cave. The Saahs family's guided estate tour covers 2,000 years of uninterrupted Wachau viticulture from Roman Pannonia to Demeter-certified biodynamics.

Nikolaihof Wachau - Estate Accommodation ★ 4.8

Guest accommodation at Austria's oldest biodynamic winery, the Nikolaihof in Mautern. Staying guests access the private Salon 77 tasting room, the Weinstube organic restaurant and guided cellar tours of the Roman foundations. The most immersive biodynamic wine estate stay in the Wachau.

Wine focus: Demeter-certified biodynamic estate stay; access to Salon 77 rare-vintage tasting and the Weinstube organic restaurant garden

Tip: Book accommodation with the Weinstube dinner combination for the full estate experience. Reservations via the estate office.

Nikolaihof Biodynamic Harvest & Cellar Experience ★ 4.9

A hands-on harvest experience at Austria's oldest Demeter-certified biodynamic winery, guided by the Saahs family. Participants learn lunar-calendar viticulture, hand-harvest Grüner Veltliner or Riesling grapes, and taste wine from the Roman-foundation cellar with Christine Saahs' organic meal.

Nikolaihof Heuriger ★ 4.7

An evening at Nikolaihof's Heuriger is among the most distinctive wine experiences in Austria: an ancient estate with Roman foundations, Demeter-certified biodynamic wines, and a courtyard setting in Mautern. Seasonal and limited; advance inquiry essential.

The list: Nikolaihof's seasonal Heuriger opens the estate's historic courtyard and medieval vault for tasting of their biodynamic Wachau wines, served with local produce in an antique stone courtyard.

Nikolaihof Roman Cellar Evening Bar ★ 4.7

The Roman cellar at Nikolaihof, incorporating masonry from the 1st-century Danube limes garrison, creates one of the most unusual evening tasting atmospheres in Austria. Wine is served directly beneath 2,000-year-old stonework. Access is by appointment or via group bookings.

The list: On evenings when the Roman cellar at Nikolaihof is open for visits, the estate serves wine from the current vintage in the historic stone vault that incorporates Roman-era construction from the Faviana garrison period.

Nikolaihof Appointment Tasting ★ 4.8

An appointment tasting at Nikolaihof is a visit to the deepest layer of Wachau wine history: a Demeter-certified estate on a property documented to 985 AD. The Saahs family's personal walkthrough of the cellar and vinothek is an exceptional wine-education experience.

The list: Appointment-based tasting at Nikolaihof, Austria's oldest documented wine estate and its first Demeter-certified biodynamic producer. Visits include the Vinothek (library wines) and current-release Wachau DAC range.

Nikolaihof ★ 4.8

Austria's oldest wine estate with documented history to 985 AD, Nikolaihof in Mautern is also Austria's earliest Demeter-certified biodynamic wine producer. The Saahs family farms all vineyard plots without synthetic inputs, following the biodynamic agricultural calendar.

Nikolaihof (Demeter and organic) ★ 4.8

Nikolaihof's Demeter certification covers both the biodynamic and organic dimensions of its farming. The estate operates without any synthetic pesticides or fertilisers and has maintained Demeter-certified biodynamic farming continuously since 1971.

Nikolaihof Vinothek (aged natural wine library) ★ 4.8

Nikolaihof's Vinothek library wines represent aged expressions of their Demeter-certified biodynamic Wachau wines. The Saahs family holds back a portion of each vintage for extended ageing before release, producing some of the most distinctive low-intervention aged whites in the Austrian natural wine context.

Nikolaihof (low sulfite, biodynamic) ★ 4.7

Nikolaihof's Demeter-certified biodynamic approach limits sulfur dioxide use; the estate's wines are among the lower-sulfite examples in the Wachau, though not zero-sulfur. Suitable for sulfite-sensitive visitors who find Demeter-certified wines more tolerable.