Ebner-Ebenauer
Cuvée Courage NV
Region: Austria - Weinviertel
Ebner-Ebenauer
Deep in a four hundred year old cellar, a quiet, studious man weighs careful decisions to create exquisite wines from each of the special parcels in the Weinviertel. He asks his accomplished, exuberant wife to join him in crafting the perfect blends that reflect their passionate partnership.
Once upon a time…this is how fairy tales usually begin. But sometimes real life is a fairy tale, and that is the case for Marion and Manfred Ebner-Ebenauer. While the Ebner-Ebenauer label was born in 2007, when the two winemakers decided to share their lives, the history of winemaking in Manfred’s family stretches back fourteen generations. Today Ebner-Ebenauer is a mixture of old and new. The 400 year old cellar and modern style of the careful winery renovation. Traditional winemaking, gravity fed, gentle pressing. Using new methods when appropriate. “Respect the traditions but change if not useful.”
The Wine
Vineyard Profile
Alte Geringen single vineyard in Ketzelsdorf, Weinviertel.
- Soil: poor calcareous loess
- Climate: warm days and cool nights. 2007-2009 a mix of warm and cool vintages
Harvest Notes
- Hard harvested with very strict berry selection in 2007, 2008 & 2009
- Whole bunch pressed and fermented without temperature control in 225 liter Cavin French oak barriques
- 2007 stored on fine lees 6 months
- 2008 & 2009 wines added to 2007 using solera system
- Bottled in 2010
- Aged on fine lees 14 years
- Zero dosage
- No SO2 added after disgorgment
Winemaker's Notes
Amber in the glass. Orange peel and earth with subtle sourdough aromas. Dry and salty with fine perlage and translucence backed by beautiful acidity.
Wine Summary
Blend of 2007, 2008 & 2009 vintages; alcohol: 12%; Alte Geringen single vineyard in Ketzelsdorf, Weinviertel; very calcareous loess soil; hand harvested in early morning with very strict berry selection; whole berry press and fermentation in 225L Cavin French oak barriques without temperature control; 2007 aged 6 months on fine lees; 2008 & 2009 added using solera method; bottled 2010; aged 14 years on fine lees; zero dosage; no sulfur added after disgorgement.
Technical Information
- Proprietary blend from 2007, 2008 & 2009 vintages
- Alcohol: 12%
Reviews
95 Points
The NV Cuvée Courage Zero Dosage is the result of an experiment based on the 2007, 2008 and 2009 vintages, kept as a solera system without sulfur dioxide, with tirage in 2010 and disgorged after more than 13 years on lees. Ebner-Ebenauer does not disclose the grape variety of this amber-colored, one-off wine but reveals that it is from the poor calcareous soils of Alte Geringen. Earth and dried orange peel are subtle on the nose, with a slight lift of orange and even subtler autolysis of salty sourdough. The palate is lithe and bone-dry, with a salty backdrop and beautiful translucency. This is not about fruit but about slender, salty, calcareous depth, transported by ultra-fine bubbles and luminous freshness. Almost austere and yet so rich, so salty, so alluring, so fresh. Truly a one-off and irresistible with its long, bright, savory finish. 2024 – 2033
Vinous, May, 2025
95 Points
Based on a solera including the wines from the 2007, 2008 and 2009 harvest and disgorged in August 2023 after 12 years of bottle aging, the amber-golden colored NV Cuvée Courage Brut Nature Zero Dosage opens with a deep, pure, intense and fresh nose of stewed and dry stone fruit and orange-colored citrus fruits intermingled with brioche and beautifully matured reserve wines that add a charming oxidative touch. On the palate, this is a light yet intense, pure, fresh, elegant, finessed and vinous sparkling wine with very fine and gentle bubbles and a stimulatingly saline, well-structured, long, intense, textural finish. This is a fabulous, characterful sparkling wine for many occasions from the bubble king and queen of the Weinviertel, Manfred and Marion Ebner-Ebernauer. Available only in Germany via weinfurore.de (82 euros). 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. 2024 – 2048
© Wine Advocate, May, 2024
94 Points
Ginger, sliced red apples, blood oranges and bread crust on the nose of this sparkling wine, followed by a dry, spicy and yeasty palate with a medium body and fine bubbles. Excellent focus and structure, with a long and expressive finish. Drink now or hold.
jamessuckling.com, October, 2025
General Info
| Country | Austria |
| Region | Niederösterreich |
| Appellation(s) | Weinviertel |
| Proprietors | Marion & Manfred Ebner-Ebenauer |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Winemaker | Manfred Ebner-Ebenauer |
| Annual Production | |
| Farming (Sustainable, organic, biodynamic) | Organic/biodynamic |