The Winemaker & the Winemaker's Wife
Krenn.49 is the estate and bistro of Barbara and Josef Krenn — a husband-and-wife team who farm 4.5 hectares of organically certified vineyards in Edelsbach bei Feldbach, in the Vulkanland Steiermark of southeastern Austria. Their philosophy is captured in a single sentence: We do what we love. With this attitude, we make wine and are hosts. The cellar and kitchen are stages of this passion and reference rooms of this life. Josef is the vigneron; Barbara is the vigneronne — Der Winzer. Die Winzerin. Together with their children Jonas, Martina, and Helga, they have created not merely a winery but a living organism: a place where wine is made in the morning, bread is baked at noon, dishes are composed in the afternoon, and guests gather in the evening around small plates of seasonal, organic, local food and bottles of handcrafted wine. The estate is certified organic by Lacon, the vineyards are farmed without synthetic pesticides or herbicides, and the cellar produces four distinct lines — Klassik, Vom Sand, Naturweine, and Alte Reben — each reflecting a different facet of the volcanic, sandy, and opok soils that define this corner of Styria. This is not a Buschenschank and not a restaurant; it is a Weinbistro — a place of uncomplicated dishes, shared among friends, where less is more and every bottle tells the story of a family that chose to do what it loves.
Barbara & Josef & the Family Kitchen
The story of Krenn.49 is the story of a family that refused to separate work from life, agriculture from gastronomy, the cellar from the kitchen, and the vine from the table. Barbara and Josef Krenn are not merely winemakers; they are hosts — a distinction that matters profoundly in a region where the Buschenschank tradition has long blurred the boundary between farm and tavern, but where the modern trend is toward specialisation and separation. Josef tends the vines and the cellar; Barbara tends the bistro and the guest. Their children complete the circle: Jonas creates the dishes, Martina implements them, Helga bakes the bread, and Barbara makes the desserts and focaccia. The whole family helps out in the vineyard, the cellar, and the kitchen — not because labour is scarce but because this is their life, their passion, and their shared project. The estate is named for its address — Edelsbach 49 — a simple, unpretentious designation that reflects the family's refusal of marketing theatre in favour of honest place.
Josef Krenn is the winemaker in the traditional sense — the man who walks the rows, prunes in winter, harvests in autumn, and ferments in the cellar. But he is also a philosopher of reduction: Because less is more is not a slogan on his website but a methodological constraint. The vineyard is farmed organically — certified by Lacon — with no synthetic pesticides, no herbicides, and no chemical fertilisers. Instead, Josef produces his own herbal extracts from plants grown on the property — yarrow, nettle, horsetail, chamomile — to strengthen the vines, support the soil microbiome, and replace the industrial inputs that conventional viticulture demands. The work is physical, seasonal, and deeply attentive; the 4.5 hectares are small enough to be known vine by vine, and Josef knows them. Barbara, meanwhile, brings the complementary half of the estate's identity: the hospitality, the warmth, the kitchen creativity that turns a winery visit into a meal and a meal into a memory. Together, they have created a reference room for their life — a physical space where passion is staged daily.
The bistro is central to this identity — not an afterthought, not a revenue stream, but an extension of the vineyard into the realm of shared experience. It is not a Buschenschank in the traditional Styrian sense, with its fixed menu of Brettljausen and cold cuts; nor is it a restaurant with white tablecloths and tasting menus. It is a Weinbistro — small, uncomplicated dishes designed to be shared among friends, made from seasonal, organic, and local ingredients, served alongside the estate's own wines and fresh sourdough bread baked on the premises. The menu changes with the season, the produce comes from neighbouring farms, and the philosophy is the same in the kitchen as in the cellar: do what you love, use what the land provides, and let quality emerge from honesty rather than complexity. The result is a place where guests do not merely taste wine but inhabit it — where the Sauvignon Blanc is drunk in the same room where the bread was baked that morning, and where the Gelber Muskateller is poured by the same hand that pruned its vine the previous winter.
The family's integration of roles is not a division of labour but a multiplication of presence. Everyone helps out — in the vineyard during harvest, in the cellar during fermentation, in the kitchen during service, and at the table during the long evenings that follow. This is not the industrial separation of agriculture and hospitality that characterises modern wine tourism; it is the pre-industrial unity of farm and table, restored and refined for a contemporary audience that craves authenticity. The Krenns do not perform authenticity; they live it. And the wine — pure, natural, handcrafted, unfiltered, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and bottled with only a whisper of sulfur — is the liquid proof of a life lived without compromise between passion and practice.
"We do what we love. With this attitude, we make wine and are hosts. The cellar and kitchen are stages of this passion and reference rooms of this life."
— Barbara & Josef Krenn
Edelsbach & the Extinct Volcanoes
Edelsbach bei Feldbach sits in the Vulkanland Steiermark — the Styrian volcanic country — a wine region in southeastern Austria defined by the geological memory of extinct volcanoes that shaped its hills, valleys, and soils millions of years ago. The landscape is gentle and rolling, dotted with volcanic cones, basalt outcrops, and tuff deposits that create a patchwork of micro-terroirs across the 4.5 hectares of the Krenn estate. The climate is transitional — Pannonian warmth from the Hungarian plain meets Mediterranean influence from the south, moderated by the cool air that drains from the Styrian hills at night. The result is warm days, cool nights, and a long growing season that allows varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Gelber Muskateller to achieve full aromatic ripeness while retaining the acidity that keeps the wines fresh and food-friendly.
The soils are the estate's defining feature — a triad of geological signatures that produces three distinct voices in the wine. Opok — calcareous marl, a sedimentary rock composed of clay and limestone — dominates certain parcels, providing structure, minerality, and a tense, chalky freshness that is particularly evident in the Weißburgunder and Welschriesling. Sand and sandstone occupy other blocks, offering excellent drainage, warmth, and a softer, more approachable fruit character that defines the Vom Sand line. And volcanic basalt and tuff — the legacy of the region's ancient volcanoes — lend a smoky, mineral intensity to the Sauvignon Blanc and the red varieties, creating wines of surprising depth and savoury complexity for such a modest elevation. This geological diversity is not merely a viticultural curiosity; it is the foundation of the estate's four wine lines, each matched to the soil that best expresses its character.
The farming is certified organic by Lacon — a rigorous, independent certification that ensures the absence of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilisers. But Josef goes beyond the certification minimum, producing his own herbal extracts from plants grown on the property to strengthen the vines and support the soil's living microbiome. The vineyard is worked by hand where possible, with careful canopy management to ensure air circulation in the humid, lake-influenced climate, and with yield control to concentrate quality in the berries. The 4.5 hectares are small enough to be farmed with intimacy — each parcel is known, each vine is observed, and each harvest decision is made with the awareness that the wine is already being written in the vineyard, long before the press is loaded. The proximity of the neighbouring farms that supply the bistro's kitchen creates a closed circle: the vineyard feeds the table, the table feeds the guests, and the guests feed the vineyard's economic viability.
The varieties are chosen for historical suitability, personal conviction, and the demands of the bistro's menu. Welschriesling — the historic backbone of Styrian viticulture — provides crisp, apple-scented refreshment. Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) expresses the opok soils with a creamy, mineral elegance. Sauvignon Blanc, the region's rising star, captures the volcanic intensity and aromatic complexity that have made the Vulkanland Steiermark one of Austria's most exciting white-wine regions. Gelber Muskateller adds floral, spicy lift; Muscaris and Souvignier Gris — both fungus-resistant crossings developed for organic viticulture — provide aromatic depth and disease resilience. And the reds — Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch — occupy the warmer, basalt-rich parcels, producing wines of dark fruit, pepper, and the smoky minerality that only volcanic soil can impart. This is not a monoculture designed for industrial efficiency; it is a polycultural garden that mirrors the biodiversity of the kitchen and the complexity of the family.
Krenn.49 is located at Edelsbach 49, 8332 Edelsbach bei Feldbach, in the Vulkanland Steiermark region of southeastern Austria. A 4.5-hectare family estate and bistro founded and operated by Barbara and Josef Krenn and their children. Certified organic by Lacon. The estate produces four distinct wine lines and serves seasonal, organic, local food in a Weinbistro setting. A benchmark for integrated farm-to-table viticulture in the Styrian volcanic country.
The vineyards are planted on a triad of soils: opok (calcareous marl) providing structure and chalky freshness; sand and sandstone offering warmth, drainage, and approachable fruit; and volcanic basalt and tuff from the region's extinct volcanoes lending smoky, mineral intensity. This geological diversity creates three distinct terroir voices — structure, fruit, and savoury depth — that define the estate's four wine lines.
Certified organic by Lacon. No synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilisers. Josef produces his own herbal extracts from plants grown on the property — yarrow, nettle, horsetail, chamomile — to strengthen vines and support soil microbiome. Hand labour, careful canopy management for humid climate, and yield control for concentration. A model of integrated organic viticulture on a human scale.
The estate operates a Weinbistro — not a Buschenschank, not a restaurant, but a place of small, uncomplicated dishes shared among friends. Seasonal, organic, local ingredients from neighbouring farms; fresh sourdough bread baked on site; dishes created by Jonas, implemented by Martina, bread by Helga, desserts by Barbara. The vineyard feeds the table; the table feeds the guests; the guests sustain the farm. A closed circle of passion and practice.
Because Less Is More & the Four Lines
The cellar philosophy at Krenn.49 is governed by a principle of reduction that applies equally to the vineyard and the kitchen: Because less is more. Josef Krenn is not an absenteeist; he is present, tasting, racking, deciding — but he does not impose. The grapes are hand-harvested into small containers and brought to the cellar for gentle pressing, preserving the whole berry and minimising the extraction of bitter phenols. Fermentation is always spontaneous, carried out by indigenous yeasts that have adapted to the volcanic soils and the Pannonian-Mediterranean climate of the Vulkanland. There are no commercial yeast inoculations, no enzymatic corrections, no chaptalisation, and no acidification. The wines are unfiltered, and sulfur is kept to the absolute minimum — a tiny addition before bottling, when necessary, to ensure stability without masking the wine's natural voice. The goal is not technological perfection but honest expression: wine that tastes of its grape, its soil, and its vintage, with nothing added that the vineyard did not provide.
The portfolio is divided into four distinct lines, each representing a different approach to the estate's grapes and soils. The Klassik & Prickelnd line comprises the estate's entry-level whites and sparkling wines — fresh, approachable, and immediately pleasurable, made from stainless steel fermentation and brief lees ageing. These are the wines served by the glass in the bistro, the wines that greet the guest before the meal begins, the wines that prove the Vulkanland can produce refreshment without pretension. The Vom Sand line — From the Sand — is the estate's signature range: wines that reflect the place, pure, authentic, and full of life, aged for at least one year in wood to develop depth and complexity without losing their freshness. The Sauvignon Blanc Vom Sand is the flagship here — a wine of volcanic intensity, sandy warmth, and the smoky mineral backbone that defines the region's best whites.
The Naturweine line is where Josef's experimental spirit finds its fullest expression — skin-macerated whites and reds that push the boundaries of what Styrian varieties can achieve. These wines undergo longer skin contact, producing full-bodied, spicy, and deeply textured cuvées that are unfined, unfiltered, and bottled with minimal or zero sulfur. The YOKO cuvées — blends of Gelber Muskateller, Sämling 88, Muscaris, Weißburgunder, and Welschriesling — are the most visible of these experiments: cloudy, aromatic, and joyfully unconventional, they embody the hullabaloo of natural winemaking while remaining rooted in the Vulkanland terroir. The Alte Reben line — Old Vines — is the estate's most serious and age-worthy range, produced from vines that are at least 25 years old, with some parcels reaching 30 to 45 years. These deep-rooted vines — their roots extending up to 20 metres into the subsoil — produce tiny yields of extraordinary concentration and complexity. The wines are aged for 18 months in wood and are designed for drinking pleasure between 4 and 10 years, offering a window into the volcanic depths that only old vines can access.
Beyond the four wine lines, the estate produces a Gemischter Satz — the traditional Styrian field blend — and a Bio Kräuter Wermut (organic herbal vermouth), demonstrating the family's commitment to diversifying their agricultural output and their creative use of the plants that grow among the vines. The vermouth is made from estate wine infused with local herbs, a bridge between viticulture and gastronomy that mirrors the bistro's philosophy of using everything the land provides. The cellar is not a factory; it is an extension of the kitchen, the vineyard, and the family table — a place where fermentation is observed rather than forced, where time is respected rather than rushed, and where every bottle carries the quiet signature of a man and a woman who chose to do what they love.
Handcrafted, Unfiltered & Completely Natural
The guiding principle of Krenn.49's winemaking is that the wine should be a pure reflection of the vineyard, not a product of the laboratory. Josef Krenn's approach — spontaneous fermentation, indigenous yeasts, gentle pressing, minimal sulfur, no filtration, and no additives — is not a rejection of technique but a refinement of it. The four lines allow him to explore the full spectrum of his grapes and soils: from the immediate freshness of the Klassik to the volcanic depth of the Vom Sand, from the experimental joy of the Naturweine to the profound concentration of the Alte Reben. Each line is distinct, but all share a common origin — the 4.5 hectares of organic vineyards on the extinct volcanoes of Edelsbach — and a common destination: the table, where wine and food meet in the simplest, most honest way.
The Four Lines & the Family Table
Krenn.49 produces a broad and thoughtfully structured portfolio from its 4.5 hectares of organically certified vineyards in Edelsbach, divided into four distinct lines that reflect the estate's geological diversity, experimental spirit, and commitment to quality at every level. All wines are hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts, unfiltered, and bottled with minimal sulfur. The Klassik line offers immediate, approachable pleasure; the Vom Sand line explores the depth and authenticity of the estate's terroir through wood ageing; the Naturweine line pushes boundaries with skin contact and minimal intervention; and the Alte Reben line captures the profound concentration of vines that have rooted themselves for decades in the volcanic subsoil. The portfolio spans white, orange, red, sparkling, and vermouth — all united by a common character of purity, naturalness, and the unmistakable signature of the Vulkanland Steiermark. The following represents the core cuvées as they have emerged from the Krenn family's years of passionate, handcrafted winemaking on the extinct volcanoes of southeastern Austria.
"Because less is more. We do what we love. With this attitude, we make wine and are hosts."
— Barbara & Josef Krenn
The Hosts & the Reference Room
To understand Krenn.49, one must understand that it is not merely a winery with a restaurant attached, nor a restaurant with a vineyard behind it — it is a single, integrated organism in which the cellar and the kitchen are two stages of the same passion, and the dining room is a reference room for a life lived without separation between work and love. Barbara and Josef Krenn have created something rare in the modern wine world: a place where the vigneron's wife is not a supporting character but a co-protagonist, where the children are not heirs waiting in the wings but active participants in the daily labour, and where the guest is not a customer but a friend invited to share in the family's table. This is not nostalgia for a lost agrarian past; it is a deliberate, modern choice to resist the fragmentation that turns farms into factories and meals into transactions.
The identity is also defined by the Weinbistro — a concept that occupies the fertile middle ground between the rustic Buschenschank and the formal restaurant. The Krenns explicitly reject both categories: they are not a Buschenschank because their food is creative, seasonal, and composed rather than merely served; they are not a restaurant because their atmosphere is informal, familial, and centred on sharing rather than service. The dishes are small, uncomplicated, and designed to be passed around the table — antipasti, fresh bread, seasonal vegetables, local meats, Barbara's desserts, Helga's sourdough. The wine list is the estate's own production, supplemented by a few selected friends. The experience is not a tasting menu but a conversation — between the guest and the host, between the glass and the plate, between the volcanic soil and the hand that farmed it.
The future of Krenn.49 is tied to the continued health of the 4.5 organic hectares, to the maturation of the Alte Reben vines that will deepen in complexity with each passing decade, and to the gradual evolution of a bistro that has already become a destination for those seeking authenticity in a world of manufactured experience. The Sauvignon Blanc VOM SAND will continue to be the white flagship — a wine that proves the Vulkanland Steiermark can produce world-class Sauvignon without imitating Sancerre. The YOKO line will continue to push boundaries, to experiment, to fail occasionally and succeed brilliantly. The Pet Nat will continue to fizz with zero-sulfur joy. And the bistro will continue to serve seasonal, organic, local food — not because it is trendy, but because it is the only way Barbara and Josef know how to live. The volcanic soils will continue to weather, the opok will continue to provide its chalky structure, the sand will continue to warm the roots, and the family will continue to do what it loves.
In an age of increasing homogenisation in wine — of global varieties, engineered yeasts, and technological fixes — Krenn.49 stands as a compelling alternative, not because it rejects modernity but because it has embraced a deeper modernity: one that values 4.5 hectares over industrial scale, organic certification over chemical dependency, the family table over the tasting room, the Weinbistro over the Michelin star, the bistro dish over the plated course, skin contact over sterile clarity, old vines over new plantings, volcanic basalt over brand recognition, herbal extracts over systemic fungicides, the Gemischter Satz over monoculture, the reference room over the marketing suite, and the specific voice of Edelsbach's extinct volcanoes over the standardised replication of a global luxury style. Barbara and Josef Krenn are not merely making wine; they are proving that a husband and wife can run a winery and a kitchen simultaneously without losing either to the other, that children can be partners rather than successors, that a bistro can be a reference room for a life well lived, and that the simplest philosophy — we do what we love — is often the most profound. From the vineyard to the kitchen, from the cellar to the table, from the volcanic soil to the sourdough bread, from the YOKO experiment to the Alte Reben tradition, from the family to the guest: all united in one bottle, one slope, one unanswerable argument for the possibility of authentic, place-specific, family-integrated, passionately honest wine and food from the Vulkanland Steiermark.
Barbara and Josef Krenn have created a single, integrated organism in which the cellar and kitchen are two stages of the same passion. The vigneron and the vigneronne are co-protagonists; the children are active participants; the guest is a friend at the family table. This is not nostalgia but a deliberate, modern choice to resist the fragmentation that turns farms into factories and meals into transactions. The reference room is their life, made visible.
The Krenns explicitly reject both the Buschenschank and the restaurant categories, occupying a fertile middle ground: the Weinbistro. Small, uncomplicated dishes designed for sharing; seasonal, organic, local ingredients; the estate's own wines; and an atmosphere of familial informality. This is not a tasting menu but a conversation — between guest and host, glass and plate, volcanic soil and farming hand. The Weinbistro is the physical manifestation of the estate's philosophy: less is more, and love is everything.
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📞 Contact Details: Krenn49
Address: Edelsbach 49, A-8332 Edelsbach bei Feldbach, Austria
Mobile Phone: +436649146401
Email: wein@krenn49.at
Website: www.krenn49.at