In the heart of Burgenland, you find Neckenmarkt, sandwiched between the foothills of the Alps and the Austro-Hungarian border. It’s here you’ll come upon Weingut Wellanschitz, a family-orientated vineyard run by Stefan Paul & Christine with the help of brother Georg & first son Stefan David. The eldest son in the Wellanschitz family is required to carry on the name Stefan – Stefan David carries the name and the winemaking skills with his line of incredible wines, “Kolfok”.
The family originated in Croatia, moving to Hungary for a better way of life. But after WW1 the region surrounding them was engulfed by Austria, creating a community that are proud Austrians but more so proud to be from Burgenland. This passion can be seen in the quality of their wines and love and care that goes into the production of them.
Christine also comes from winemaking heritage, having grown up on a vineyard and being hands on with production from a young age. However, she aspired to go down a different route. Christine wanted to become a journalist, that was until she met Stefan Paul. They then decided to embark on this winemaking adventure together and they dovetail amazingly, with Christine’s excellence in customer relations and communications and Stefan’s excellence in winemaking and vineyard operations. It’s testament to the amazing operation they run and of course the fantastic product that has evolved from it, a true team with no intentions of stopping!
The Wines Direct team visiting Wellanschitz.
Whilst they respect tradition, they are also willing to challenge it and develop new and exciting wines, exampling a perseverance to grow rather than be resistant to change. And thus, tying in with the name ‘Kolfok’, a regional expression to define a younger person who swims against the tide or as Christine herself defined “A son who doesn’t always believe what his father says”.