Great wines are often the result of great transformations. The first major change of the Donabaum enterprise took place in 1961, when Johann Donabaum’s parents abandoned mixed agriculture and specialized on pure viticulture instead. The second significant change occurred when Johann took over the vineyard and decided to privilege quality over quantity. It is since then that the wines from Laaben, located at the entry to the Spitzer Graben, count among the finest in Austria and even cause a sensation on the international stage. Johann cultivates 7,5 hectares, and is able to describe his adjacent terroirs and their different nuances in great detail: his often extremely steep terraces share a soil rich in gneiss and slate, in which he mainly grows Veltliner and Riesling. However, the Neuburger from the Biern terrace deserves being mentioned, too, as it raises the bar for the entire region. In addition to the Offenberg, the Setzberg and the Point terraces in the Spitzer Graben area, two Veltliner from terraces in Wösendorf also feature in his range. His basic style, however, remains the same: Johann’s wines are forceful, dense, juicy, elegant and mineral. He no longer runs a Heurigen, but instead offers five guestrooms for any visitors who wish to explore the Spitzer Graben and the Donabaum wines in more detail.