Dorli Muhr
Dorli Muhr (*1965) was studying languages to become a translator when, during a bicycle trip to France, she discovered the concept of terroir, and it was from here that she became interested in the interaction between plant and soil, to better understand where differences in expression come from.
In 1991, his enthusiasm for vines led him to set up a communications agency. Today, Wine+Partners has 17 employees and works for wineries, restaurants, hotels, wine-growing and tourist regions, breweries and associations all over the world.
Born the daughter of farmers, Dorli always dreamed of producing wine herself. In Tuscany, she acquired a hill near Scansano, which she wanted to plant. But her private life had other plans. She moved to Portugal, married and gave birth to a daughter in Porto, while managing her agency in Vienna.
The Douro Valley made her realize the potential of old vines and the value of a continental climate. This changed her mind: she left Tuscany behind and turned to her home region, east of Austria.
On a hillside that belongs to the Carpathians, Dorli replanted a vineyard belonging to her grandmother and started making wine from a parcel of Blaufränkisch. Then she bought plots of old vines, experimenting with different vinifications. And she realized that this hill, called Spitzerberg, is an exceptional terroir.
Over the course of 20 years, his estate grew from 0.17 to 12 hectares, of which 11 hectares were planted with
Blaufränkisch, a variety which - in Dorli's opinion - expresses the character of Central Europe in an ideal way.
Dorli brought the region's producers together to create an appellation, to define a style of wine that reflects the Spitzerberg's extremely dry limestone terroir, and she fought for the right to market parcel wines to demonstrate the hill's unknown potential.
Today, Dorli Muhr wines are exported to 20 countries, including France, where they are served at the finest tables.
In 2019, Spitzerberg was classified Erste Lage des Traditionsweingüter Österreich.
After two decades working in a garage, Dorli built a winery in 2022, which immediately won the Swedish Vinfinity Group's eco-responsibility award for its radical non-technical concept.
Dorli has been named "Heroine of the Year 2019" by Perswijn magazine (NL)
Weinplus has awarded her the trophy for Collection of the Year in 2021.
In 2022, she was inducted into the Austrian Event Hall of Fame by the live marketing board for creating prestigious educational wine events.
Wine & Spirits magazine lists Weingut Dorli Muhr among the world's top 100 producers.
For her work in developing the Spitzerberg appellation, GaultMillau has named Dorli Muhr "Outstanding Producer" in 2024.