"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened!“
Our farm
Our farm is situated at an altitude of 600 metres and
is surrounded by woods and apple plantations. One thing that will certainly
stick in your mind after a holiday at our farm is the breath-taking panoramic
view into Venosta valley.
The farmstead was first mentioned in 1319. At this
time, it was owned by Chounradi Winchler, thus acquiring the actual name
Winklerhof. The family name Forcher goes back to the year 1900 when our
ancestor Josef Forcher married Theresia Fürst, the heiress of the farmstead.
The couple had four children, the eldest of which took our grandma (Rosa
Pföstl) as his wife in 1949.
In this period of time the Winklerhof mainly sustained
itself with livestock breeding. A little supplementary income was gained by
growing apples and grapes. Up to the present day, both assortment and cultivation
area were increased steadily.
At the beginning of the 1960ies, our grandma made her
first attempts in gastronomy, serving the guests fried eggs and potatoes,
accompanied by some delicious home-grown wine.
In the early 1970ies the Winklerhof started with room
rental, offering its guests two rooms („double room“ and „swindle room“). At
this time the family decided to set up also two prefabricated houses which up
to 2005 offered a nice holiday home to numerous guests.
In 1983 grandma’s eldest son Gustl took over his father’s farm and ran it together with his wife Marianne until 2015. With grandma’s help they operated both guest house and agriculture with all their heart and soul.
In 2005 the two holiday homes were removed and replaced by larger versions (holiday home „Bergblick“ and holiday home „Talblick“). When in 2000 the entire farmhouse was torn down to the first floor and subsequently reconstructed, the two guestrooms were eliminated, giving space for a new apartment. At first this was privately used, then from 2011 it was rented as apartment „Fernblick“, along with the two holiday homes. In 2015 Matthias, the eldest of Gustl’s sons, took over the farmstead.
Today these people live and work on the farm
Mattias, a young and motivated farmer
his better half Isabel - a hardworking and charming pastry chef, and their son Elias
Mattias' sister Veronika - the heart and soul of the farm, together with daughter Anna & son Moritz
Robert, the chef, always ready with a witty remark
Michal, Robert's right hand
Katarina, the jack-of-all-trades, who helps out everywhere
Mattias is not only a passionate farmer, but he and his wife Isabel are also passionate hosts. Over the years, they've invested in the farm and the cottage, including the restaurant. They've renovated the apartments, replaced the old wood-burning stove in the restaurant kitchen with a modern electric one, and recently opened a "produce corner" with two sales points of home-made products. This year they've modernised the patio and restructured the small "Stube".
Every member of the team is indispensable on the farm, as there's plenty to do all year round. Mattias, the young farmer, looks after the apple orchards and likes to compensate for stressful times by producing delicious honey from the farm's own beehives (products available at the sales points). He also takes care of the other fruit on the farm, such as apricots, strawberries, pears, cherries, figs, currants and more.
Veronika and Isabel run the farm tavern and the apartments together. Sometimes you will find them in the kitchen, sometimes in the service, sometimes in the garden, sometimes cleaning the apartments. Together with their team of Robert, Michal and Katarina, they are dedicated to ensuring that guests have a wonderful stay at the farm. Robert, Michal & Katarina conjure up delicious meals in the kitchen, which Isabel & Veronika serves with a smile. They are also responsible for processing herbs, fruit and vegetables into delicacies such as apple juice, herb salt, fruit syrups, fruit spreads, dried fruit and more.
Kira, the farm dog, is always around the farm and loves to "race" with the chickens and cats Herbert & Mimi.
Anna, Elias and Moritz are the little ones who keep everyone on their toes.
All in all, everyone tries to give the farm its lively and distinctive character and to make the guest a part of it.