The Prielers first appear in Schützen documents in 1347. Defying the turmoil of the times and the capers of nature, they stayed. They became farmers. After years of mixed farming, my grandfather bottled his first wines, won prizes and delivered as far away as Salzburg. Things really took off with my parents. They bought selected vineyards and planted them with the grape varieties of the region.

In addition, they discovered the wide world of wine. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and small wooden barrels found their way to Schützen. And the world discovered them. Robert Parker gave them ratings that had never been given to Austrian red wines before. My sister Silvia continued on this path, but occasionally took a turn. She took important steps towards organic farming and gave free rein to wild yeasts in the winemaking process. As a doctor of molecular biology, she knew what she was doing. Even when she left for Vienna in 2012 and handed over the reins to me.

Alternatives were never an option. I grew up in nature and wanted to work in nature. And with it. Before that, I got to know all kinds of aspects of the wine world during internships in California, Argentina and New Zealand. For the readings, however, I was always at home in Schützen and from 2004 I slowly took on responsibility, especially in the cellar. Since 2012, it has been entirely up to me. Many paths were marked out, others had to be taken anew. The most important step was to officially and uncompromisingly cultivate the vineyards organically, which almost inevitably led to positive changes during winemaking.