Today's Austrian wine-growing region of Weinviertel in Lower Austria used to be divided into the independent areas of Retz (in the west) and Falkenstein near Poysdorf (in the east), named after their respective main wine-growing villages. Above the village of Falkenstein, which lies in the north-east near the Czech border, towers the castle ruins of the same name, which date back to 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 and Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), as well as the red wine varieties Zweigelt, Blauer Portugieser and Blauburger.