In Austria's Kamptal region, where the Kamp River carves through rolling vineyards and centuries-old villages, one family has spent more than four decades turning grapes into some of the country's most celebrated sparkling wines.
Weingut Steininger's story is one of pioneering ambition, unwavering dedication to terroir, and a tradition now carried into its third generation.
The Beginning: From Mixed Farm to Sparkling Wine Pioneers
The Steininger story as a dedicated winegrowing estate begins in 1980, when Karl and Brigitta Steininger took over the family property from Karl's parents. At the time, it was a mixed agricultural farm — not yet the specialized winery it would become. Both Karl and Brigitta came from winemaking families themselves, and they brought that inherited passion into a bold decision: to transform the estate into a dedicated viticulture and sparkling wine operation.
That transformation reached a defining moment in 1989, when Karl and Brigitta began working with the méthode traditionnelle — the same meticulous, bottle-fermented process used to produce Champagne. At a time when this approach was still rare in the region, they became true pioneers of sparkling wine production in Kamptal, placing particular emphasis on single-varietal cuvées. Their consistent philosophy and quality-first convictions steadily built the winery's reputation, establishing Steininger as a respected name in Austria's wine and sparkling wine landscape.
A Philosophy Rooted in Origin
For the Steininger family, wine has never been just a product — it's an expression of personality and place. Every wine carries the imprint of the people who made it and the ground it grew from, a belief that continues to guide the estate today. As the family puts it, great wines don't happen by chance; they require the perfect interplay of soil, climate, and vintage, combined with intuition, experience, and personal vision.
This philosophy is inseparable from Kamptal itself. Nestled along the banks of the Kamp River, the region's terroir varies dramatically from vineyard to vineyard. The gravelly soils around Langenlois lend structure and minerality, while the sun-drenched slopes of Zöbing coax out riper, more expressive fruit. Rather than smoothing these differences into a single house style, Steininger treats each parcel as a distinct voice — building wines that reflect precisely where they were grown.
The Next Generation Takes the Helm
In 2021, Karl and Brigitta passed the responsibility of running the winery to their daughter Eva and her husband, Peter — marking the estate's transition to its third generation. Eva grew up on the family property and felt connected to winemaking from an early age. After completing Vino-HAK, a combined viticulture school and business academy, she went on to study International Business before returning to join the family enterprise directly.
Peter's path into the family business began differently: he started as an employee working under Karl and Brigitta, gradually taking on responsibility in both the cellar and the vineyards. What began as a professional partnership grew into a shared life, and today Eva and Peter run the winery together — Eva overseeing organization, sales, and customer relations, Peter leading viticulture and cellar operations. Karl and Brigitta remain closely involved, offering their decades of experience as what the family affectionately calls "backstage winemakers," while Eva and Peter raise the next generation — sons Julian, Florian, and Sebastian — at the family estate.
Steininger's winemaking legacy also extends beyond the estate itself. Eva's sister Anna, together with her husband Martin Arndorfer, runs the Arndorfer winery in nearby Strass, guided by an intuitive, nature-forward approach to winemaking. Meanwhile, the youngest of the family, Lisa, studied International Wine Marketing at Geisenheim University after traveling extensively, and together with her partner João Fonseca — a Portuguese winemaker — now crafts a distinctive Port-style fortified wine under the name "Kraftvoll," bringing Portuguese tradition into conversation with Austrian character.
Méthode Traditionnelle: Craft Without Shortcuts
At the technical core of Steininger's sparkling wines is an unwavering commitment to the méthode traditionnelle. Grapes are hand-harvested to protect their quality, and the wine undergoes its crucial secondary fermentation inside the bottle itself — the process responsible for both the fine, persistent bubbles and the complex, toasty character built through extended contact with spent yeast.
There are no shortcuts in this process. Each step, from harvest to riddling to disgorgement, demands patience and precision, refined over decades of practice. It's this dedication to traditional methods, balanced with a willingness to innovate where it matters, that distinguishes Steininger's sparkling wines and has earned them recognition both within Austria and abroad.
A Portfolio Built on Diversity
Where many sparkling wine producers narrow their focus to one or two grape varieties, Steininger has built its identity around range. The estate vinifies Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Chardonnay, Traminer, Muskateller (Muscat), Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt, and Pinot Noir — a spread that allows the family to express the full diversity of Kamptal rather than telling a single-grape story.
A Legacy in Motion
More than four decades after Karl and Brigitta first reimagined their family farm as a dedicated winery, Weingut Steininger stands as one of Kamptal's defining sparkling wine producers — a reputation built not on scale, but on an unbroken commitment to origin, craft, and patience. With Eva and Peter now steering the estate into its third generation, and the wider family continuing to explore winemaking in their own directions, the Steininger story remains what it has always been: proof that great sparkling wine is never made by accident, only by decades of getting the details right.
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