Nibiru was founded in 2015 by Josef Schenter and Julia Nather, a couple with deep ties to wine and agriculture. Josef’s family has farmed in the region for generations, and he brings his winemaking expertise to their venture having worked around the world prior to forming the domaine, while Julia, a certified sommelier, contributes her knowledge of orcharding that informs their holistic approach to winegrowing.

Located in Thürneustift, in the northernmost part of Kamptal, where the climate is cooler than normal for the region and the vineyards sit on rocky terraces at 400m asl. Nibiru’s eight hectares of vineyard land are certified organic, with Demeter biodynamic certification achieved in 2022. Their farming practices focus on regenerative methods, particularly around the Goldnagel vineyard, known for its quartz, decomposed rock, and amphibolite soils, and ancient vines. Their goal in farming is to restore the area to a wild habitat while maintaining sustainable practices like creating their own compost and managing the vineyard by hand. They also leave the land between rows to grow wild, allowing indigenous plants to thrive, benefitting from the surrounding forests and minimal chemical interference from neighbouring farms.

Winemaking at Nibiru is hands-off, with all fruit hand-harvested and spontaneously fermented. Sulfur is used sparingly, and all wines are aged in old oak, unfined and unfiltered.

The name “Nibiru” comes from an ancient Nubian myth of a planet that crosses into our solar system only once every 3,000 years or so, traveling the opposite direction as the rest of our planets. This oppositional, rare mythical planet seemed to the two of them to symbolize the difference in their approach from the somewhat daunting, classical past of the Kamptal and their hopes for what may be possible in this region in the future.

Despite only being in production for about a decade, Nibiru wines, particularly their flagship ‘Grundstein’ and top-tier ‘Amphibolit,’ are known for their exceptional quality, reflecting the unique terroir of the Goldnagel’s metamorphic soils. The wines are clean, clear, and elegant, offering a cool, northern Austrian character with honesty and precision, supreme drinking for the price.