My name is Hans Polczer, I was born in Eisenberg, and I spent my childhood in Eberau and my youth in Graz. I studied sports and history and worked full-time in Linz until 2017. In 1987 I took over the Weingut Wachter, which my grandfather Johann Wachter founded in 1912, and which has been run by his daughter, my mother, Gisela since 1952 under the name Weingut Polczer, and at first I ran it part-time. My role models in the wine business are my parents and grandparents. And from them I have inherited not only a love of wine, but above all: honesty. In my wine work, this legacy means absolute devotion to Eisenberg. My connection to southern Burgenland and my long-rooted family traditions in Eisenberg have always taken priority. My grandfather, Johann Wachter, was born in Eisenberg in 1888. Like his ancestors, he became a farmer and took over the farm very early following his father's death in 1908. In 1914 he was drafted into military service and was wounded in Russian captivity, from which he was only able to return home in 1921 after an odyssey that saw him venture from Siberia, via Kazakhstan to Japan, Singapore, Egypt and Italy. Through hard graft, he modernised his farm, expanding it into a model winery, which played a major role in improving the wine industry on the Eisenberg. In 1931 he became mayor of his hometown and from 1934 he was sent to the state parliament as representative of the wine growers of southern Burgenland. After the Second World War, he devoted himself entirely to viticulture, where he would again take ground-breaking and decisive modernising measures, such as single-variety vine planting. He made a name for the Eisenberg wine region by presenting his wines at trade fairs at home and abroad. I have been living in Eisenberg since 2017 and I now dedicate myself entirely to viticulture, guided by the principle that it's good to know your origins. That holds true for life - and for viticulture too. I take care of the vineyard and the winery and I am actively supported by our long-term employees Gabor and Marie. My wife Regine knows her way around accounting and marketing. Together we also take care of sales. The Eisenberg is not only our home: it has something that is probably unique in all of Europe. We would like to share this unique feature with you, CrowdFarmers: you should be able to taste it in your living room, because every drop of Polczer wine is a contribution to the joy of life! We're excited!

The history of our winery in Eisenberg in southern Burgenland goes back to 1912. My grandfather, Johann Wachter, founded the Wachter winery with a nursery and a small vineyard. In 1952 he handed things over to his daughter Gisela. After her wedding to Johann Polczer, the winery ran under the name Weingut Polczer. In 1987 I, Hans Polczer, took over the winery from my mother Gisela and I have been running the family business ever since. Eisenberg is right on the border with its eastern neighbour Hungary. The Eisenberg is about 400 meters high and has a horseshoe-shaped basin that opens to the south. The wine idyll Südburgenland is the smallest wine-growing region in Austria. Eisenberg an der Pinka is also part of the Öko-Energieland, one of 39 KLAR (Climate Change Adaptation Model) regions throughout Austria. In addition to ongoing climate protection activities, the KLAR program permits a forward-looking adaptation to the effects of climate change in order to reduce potential damage and also to maintain quality of life for the community. In our small-scale agricultural region, the landscape is characterised by wide, flat ridges and rolling hills, with mostly naturally flowing waters. The Illyrian climate, a transitional climate between the Mediterranean, Alpine and Pannonian climates, brings a high number of hours of sunshine when temperatures can reach over 20 degrees, as well as a higher amount of precipitation - perfect for red wines. Since the vines are deeply rooted, the amount of rainfall is sufficient to supply our vines with water. The water supply in the winery is provided by its own house well. Sandy and clay-rich loam soils, primary rock soils and slate soils in very steep locations, as well as high overall soil fertility help a wealth of natural resources to grow. In the rows between the vines, all sorts of flowers as well as red and white clover thrive and serve as green manure. In the autumn after the harvest or after the press, the pomace is returned to the vineyard as fertiliser. Mechanical tillage of the soil not only serves to control weeds, but also loosens and aerates the soil. We strive to treat nature as gently and cautiously as possible, because in order to make wines of high quality, great attention must be paid to vineyard work. The foundation for a good wine is laid in the vineyard. That is why we cultivate our vineyards according to strict guidelines, because it's only if the vine finds ideal conditions for its development throughout the year that our grapes can develop an optimal aroma through ideal ripeness and also achieve the corresponding natural sugar graduation. The resulting wines are mainly fermented in stainless steel tanks. But they also age in barrique barrels where they reach their true stature. The striking features found in our wines, in addition to the high extract, which provides intensive aromas, are mild acidity and a very high proportion of resveratrol. The Polczer winery can look back on a century-long tradition in viticulture and the Eisenberg wine has been ready for the Olympics since 2012. The Cuvee Ferrum was honoured in 2012 in London, in 2014 in Sochi, in 2016 in Rio and in 2018 in Pyeongchang. This red wine from southern Burgenland was advertised by Österreich Haus as an “endorphin donor”. Success in sport can only be achieved in a team, and success in the winery also comes down to teamwork. My wife and I have been supported by Gabor & Mari Völgyi in the vineyard and in the winery since 1995.