In the period before, after and on St Martin’s Day, many winemakers in the Neusiedlersee wine-growing region open their cellar doors to invite visitors to taste their wines. A tradition that emerged in the 1980s and can therefore look back on a rich history.

With the support of the federal government, the province and the European Union.

According to legend, the Martin we celebrate every year today was a Roman officer. In 334 AD, the story goes, he was stationed in Armenia and one night encountered a freezing beggar. Without hesitation, the well-to-do officer used his sword to cut his cloak into two pieces. He gave one half to the poor man so he could keep warm. This merciful act became a symbol of Christian humility. And Saint Martin became a role model – especially for the people living in Burgenland: he became the patron saint of the province.

At first glance, the legend of Saint Martin has absolutely nothing to do with wine. And yet his feast day, 11 November, has held special significance for winemakers in the Neusiedlersee wine-growing region for many centuries – and for several reasons: In the Middle Ages, when feudal lords still divided the land among the farmers, it was always necessary to pay the so-called fief, i.e. the rent, on St Martin’s Day. How the agreed amounts were paid was largely left to the farmers themselves. Coins were only one means of payment. Payments in kind were also welcome to the feudal lords. So the dutiful farmers delivered what they had – geese, for example.

That, by the way, is why today, around Martini, you can enjoy Martinigansln just about everywhere, especially in Burgenland. At the same time, after paying their dues, the farmers finally had time to see what had been happening in the barrels in their wine cellars since the autumn harvest. So after 11 November, they tasted their young wine, the “Staubiger”, for the first time.

When tradition and cuisine merge

“This is exactly where the now so popular tradition of Martiniloben comes in,” says Sepp Sailer. The 68-year-old is regarded as the founder of this annual festival, which today fills guest beds around Lake Neusiedl with short-break visitors – and wine cellars with thirsty guests. “Because,” he continues, “when the farmers back then tasted each other’s young wines, they didn’t hold back on praising the other person’s wine.” So at Martini, the wine was praised. “Whether it was good or not so good,” Sailer adds with a smile. He often experienced that as a child and teenager – and it left such an impression that, many years later, the committed Burgenland native combined the two terms into “Martiniloben”. And in doing so, he made a major contribution to securing a bright future for the winemakers of Lake Neusiedl. Because when Martiniloben was held for the first time in Frauenkirchen on 11/11/1987, the wine world across Austria looked rather bleak …

These were the years after the “Twilight of the Gods”, as Sailer describes the difficult years after the “earthquake” – still echoing as a warning to this day – dubbed the wine scandal by the media. “Everywhere we heard only about winegrowers who had to close down, who sold their land, who didn’t know how they were going to make ends meet,” he recalls. The young man at the time knew that something had to be done to prove to people that local wine was of high quality. That regional winemakers could be trusted. That the black sheep were long gone. “Back then it was about strengthening the winemakers’ bruised self-confidence just as much as mending wine lovers’ shaken trust,” Sailer remembers.

Twice as delicious on St Martin’s Day

That is why many levers were pulled back then: “Austrian Wine Marketing” was founded for marketing, and the “Austrian Wine Academy” for training local winemakers. And Sepp Sailer, too, managed to make his contribution by ensuring that transparency and access to wine became possible. With Martiniloben. “Looking back, this actually laid the first foundations for the Neusiedlersee DAC project, which is now so successful nationally and increasingly internationally.” Even back then – just as today – it was about origin & typicity, craftsmanship & quality.

All this and much more is what the winemakers of this region have been bottling year after year since 2012 under the designation of origin and quality Neusiedlersee DAC: archetypal, unmistakable varietal and regional character, based on clearly defined and transparent guidelines. And the fact that Zweigelt for red wine as well as sweet wines have been defined as particularly typical of the region is more than logical for Sepp Sailer, too. “Zweigelt is the leading variety not only across Austria, but also here in our Neusiedlersee wine-growing region. And our sweet wines have been among the best for decades – worldwide, by the way,” he notes with no small measure of pride.

“Two years after the first festival of this kind, another Martiniloben was held in Gols,” Sailer reveals. The result: visitors and winemakers were delighted. “It was a win-win situation,” says the inventor of Martiniloben. “The autumn event gave wine lovers the opportunity to visit winegrowers, learn more about their work and taste young wines. Conversely, the winegrowers were able to actively promote themselves and market their wines directly from the farm.”

Martiniloben conquers the entire wine region

But even though Sepp Sailer’s vision from the outset was to integrate the entire Neusiedlersee wine region into Martiniloben, it ultimately took ten years for it to happen. Today, however, almost all villages around the entire Lake Neusiedl are part of the great wine party. A dedicated Martiniloben calendar (see below) provides an overview of when and where the wine is being praised. After all, it is now 50,000 visitors who, during these autumn weeks, head to the wine cellars around the lake to taste the wines – above all those bearing the designation of origin and quality Neusiedlersee DAC – and other regional specialties.

50,000 enthusiasts who enjoy the fact that the winemakers of Lake Neusiedl share their treasures with them. And so the whole thing does, after all, have something to do with Saint Martin and the generosity he embodied: the idea that you share what you like with others. And with Neusiedlersee DAC wines, that includes not least quality & typicity.

Martiniloben at Lake Neusiedl 2021: Where & when is the wine being praised?

Martiniloben is one of the best opportunities to discover and taste the diversity of Neusiedlersee wines. You can find out when and where cellar doors are open here.

Everything you need to know about Neusiedlersee DAC specialties

Juicy and deeply fruity, or rather fruit-sweet? Which Neusiedlersee DAC is your favourite? Click through the different grape varieties.

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Neusiedlersee DAC.
Unique Zweigelt. Unique sweet wines.
From Austria’s sunny side. For everyone’s enjoyment.

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