Dorli Muhr Ried Spitzerberg 'Kranzen'

Wine Story

My fascination for wine started with a bicycle holiday in France, when I was still a student of languages. We visited several wineries in different regions. I was impressed with the fact that the liquid in my glass expressed the soil on which the vines have been growing. In my studies of languages, I focused more and more on translations of wine literature, and after graduating, I started an agency for communication on wine. It is called Wine&Partners.

Working with the most famous winemakers from all over the world is a fantastic job and I adore it – but I always felt the need of going even deeper. I wanted to make my own wine! It took me quite a long time and many, many travels, to accept that it would be neither in France or in Italy where I would produce my own wine… But that destiny had a different plan for me. I returned to the place of my childhood. To a forgotten region, where my grandmother had a tiny tiny vineyard of 0,17 hectares, digged out by my father long time ago.

There were many stories told by old people, that the Spitzerberg was an outstanding terroir and the wines were excellent. But reality was different: most of the vineyards on this site were abandoned, the wines produced were not interesting.

I started working with my first vineyard parcel in 2002, and it did not take long that the inhabitants of the village called me “the crazy woman”. I reduced the production per vine, I picked by hand, taking out every single overmature berry, I tread the grapes with my bare feed. I fermented the juice with natural yeasts, I tried to avoid sulphure, and I put the name SPITZERBERG on the label. All that was revolutionary, and lead to wondering head-shaking in the village.

My only support was the maire. I actually knew him since I was 12. He then was the drummer of a boy band, and I was their greatest fan. 30 years later, together we organised a meeting of all vineyards owners from Spitzerberg at the townhall. It was a gathering of 50 men aged 70+. And me. I tried to explain, that the Spitzerberg was definitely an outstanding terroir, and if we do the right things, we could make a Grand Cru of it. We should make only finest wine, with low yeald, and try to distribute it internationally. Because it is exactly thte style of wine that is needed in the finest restaurants. The head-shaking of the farmers continued, my image of “the crazy woman” was confirmed, once more.

Though, since then, a lot has changed. Spitzerberg has become an important player in the field of Blaufränkisch, the wines are distributed worldwide and served in the best restaurants, and the Spitzerberg has been classified of ERSTE LAGE.

This is an incredible success story in only 18 years, and I am very proud of it.

In 2019, I was able to buy the shares of Dirk Niepoort, who used to be my partner. The name of the winery changed from Muhr-van der Niepoort to Weingut Dorli Muhr. At the same time I was offered an old house in the center of Prellenkirchen, which I started to renovate so that, eventually, wine lovers can come and visit met. The tasting room is painted with excentric red lines, reminding the design of the logo. People, who pass in front of the house take a look to the painted walls, and the head-shaking continues.