Could a wine get Moonstruck?

Weinhof Brauner is a small family winery with a history stretching all the way back to 1648. Today, they cultivate just three hectares of vineyards and welcome guests into a handful of charming rooms.

The perfect host

My travels are rarely planned down to the smallest detail. Instead they’re usually guided by curiosity and spontaneous decisions. So when I checked in, I casually asked whether there might be a chance to taste their wines. Karl, the father of the family, smiled apologetically. They had already been invited out for the evening, he explained. But then he added that he would happily come back later to guide me through the wines himself. Now that’s hospitality.

The vibrant wines

Later that evening, I’m shown into the beautiful tasting room for what feels like a private masterclass. We begin with a Grüner Veltliner 2025. Fresh, vibrant, and everything I love about the variety such as crisp fruit, lively acidity, and remarkable purity. I make careful notes, although I have no idea that this wine is about to make a second appearance later in the evening… in a completely different form.

I’ll spare you the detailed notes on the Roter Veltliner and the Gemischter Satz. Both were excellent and certainly deserve their own posts, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with tasting notes from every glass. 

The curvy wine

Instead, I want to linger for a moment over the Weißburgunder 2025. Karl tells me it’s the grape closest to his heart. The very first wine he ever made on his own, at just sixteen years old, was a Weißburgunder. And it’s safe to say that, by now, he knows exactly how to coax the very best from it. The wine is beautifully expressive, offering aromas of orange zest, pink grapefruit, and red apples. The minerality and acidity are both there, but never demanding attention. Instead, they act like a well-built backbone, giving the wine its structure without ever dominating the fruit.

By now, darkness has settled outside the windows. Karl looks thoughtfully at me. “I wonder which wine I should pour for you next…”

The moonstruck wine

When he returns with the next bottle and begins explaining it, I have to admit I’m struggling to keep up. We’re speaking German, and mine is, at best, serviceable. Add some glasses of wine and a late hour, and my language skills certainly aren’t improving. Still, I catch enough to realise he’s talking about the moon. The full moon and its influence on sowing, harvesting, and ultimately on the finished wine. To say I’m sceptical would be putting it mildly but I’m keeping a straight face, I think, and listen politely. Then he pours me the Grüner Veltliner Vollmoon.

The confused taster

The same grape. The same vineyard. The same winemaker. Yet somehow……a completely different wine! This one is rounder and fuller, with notes of sage, red apples, and just a whisper of caramel. Curiosity gets the better of me. I pour myself another splash of the first Grüner Veltliner and taste them side by side. The differences are unmistakable. But how? My questions are multiple and I try to express them all. According to Karl, the only real difference is that the second wine was handled according to the phases of the moon throughout the winemaking process. I am stunned, but at the same time, I can’t deny what I taste.

Later that night, lying in my cleverly designed guest room and looking through the skylight at a sky filled with stars, I keep thinking about those two glasses. About how much there still is to discover in the world of wine. And how grateful I am for wineries like Weinhof Brauner, places deeply rooted in tradition, yet confident enough to trust their instincts and brave enough to explore what others might dismiss as impossible.