Nets from the star winemaker

Professional Leo Hillinger helps Carinthian winegrowers

Doctor and city winemaker Christiane Loinig-Velik and Florian Ackermann, field manager of the Hillinger winery, loading the hail nets.(Bild: zVg)

The Burgenland star winegrower Leo Hillinger is supporting the Klagenfurt winegrowers with hail nets. The fine wines are thus protected from storms this year!

The vineyard of the provincial capital of Klagenfurt, which has been run by Vinum Carinthiae, the oldest winegrowers' association in Carinthia, for more than 20 years and is managed independently by several winegrowers, stretches over 6500 square meters above the eastern bay of Lake Wörthersee.

"Since this year, there has been a group of ambitious neo-vintners from a wide variety of backgrounds. Whether doctors, police officers, bankers, students or pensioners," explains doctor and wine lover Christiane Loinig-Velik.

The vines on the Seewiese vineyard are now protected from hail.(Bild: zVg)

What the association lacked until now, however, were hail nets. In 2023, the harvest was lost as a result. This should be prevented this year: "I keep attending courses at the wine academy in Rust. There we talked to winegrower friends about the need for hail nets," says the doctor, who then made a decision.

Leo Hillinger asked for help
"I thought to myself, maybe someone has nets that they no longer need and could make them available to us at a reasonable price. So I simply wrote to Leo Hillinger."

Celebrity winemaker Leo Hillinger was delighted with his gift basket from Carinthia.(Bild: zVg)

It didn't take long for the famous star winemaker to reply. His field manager Florian Ackermann received a confirmation shortly afterwards. On collecting the six-kilometre-long hail nets, Hillinger received a basket of Carinthian delicacies as a thank you.

"The hail nets have already been installed. We are looking forward to the first self-produced wine and are very grateful for the help!" said Loinig-Velik.