The winery is located in the municipality of Furth-Palt in the Lower Austrian wine-growing region of Kremstal, next to the Benedictine Abbey of Göttweig. The origins of the traditional owner family go back to 1722. Gerald Malat has been considered a doyen and pioneer in Austrian viticulture since the 1970s and has made a special effort to promote the red wine culture in Lower Austria. Among other things, he was one of the first winegrowers in Austria to work with barrique age ing. He also contributed to the approval of Cabernet Sauvignon, which he introduced, as a quality wine grape variety in Austria. He is also considered a pioneer of sparkling wine. Gerald Malat was also the long-standing chairman of Traditionsweingüter Österreich, of which the winery is a member. Since 2008, the winery has been run in the tenth generation by son Michael Malat, who travelled to many wine-growing regions in Europe and overseas during his studies.
The vineyards cover 50 hectares of vineyards in the Am Zaum, Brunnkreuz, Gottschelle, Hochrain, Höhlgraben, Landwid, Silberbichl, Steinbühel and Zistel vineyards. They are 65% planted with the white wine varieties Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Chardonnay, Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, and 35% with the red wine varieties Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Laurent and Zweigelt.
The vineyards are cultivated according to the rules of organic viticulture with, among other things, cover crop and natural humus soil. The wines are vinified according to their origin and variety. The premium wines include various Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners Kremstal DAC and Kremstal DAC Reserve with indication of the vineyards (see above). Austria's first vintner 's sparkling wines Malat Brut and Malt Brut Rosé have been produced according to the traditional method since 1976. In years with suitable weather conditions, noble sweet wines are also pressed. Fruit brandies are produced in the in-house distillery.
