Today's Austrian wine-growing region Weinviertel in Lower Austria used to be divided into the independent areas Retz (in the west) and Falkenstein near Poysdorf (in the east), named after their respective main wine villages. Above the village of Falkenstein in the northeast, close to the Czech border, is the castle ruin of the same name, which was built around 1050. The vineyards cover 185 hectares of vineyards and consist of calcareous, loamy soils with sandstone admixture. They are mainly planted with the white wine varieties Grüner Veltliner (Falkensteiner is an old synonym by the way), Welschriesling andPinot Blanc, as well as the red wine varieties Zweigelt, Blauer Portugieser and Blauburger.