The city of Krems is nestled in a basin at an altitude of 220 meters above sea level. To the east, the valley opens up and lets the warm air masses stream in from the Pannonian region. To the north, the city borders on the highlands of the "Waldviertel", a pleasantly wooded area, where there is an abrupt drop in the average yearly temperature of at least 5° C.

The clash of the Western Baltic oceanic climate with that of East Pannonia leads to an exciting interplay and strong climatic variations between day and night, and all that in a narrow space, but the mighty Danube helps to balance them out.

Naturally, the vegetation is affected by such sharp variations in temperature and this proves to be very beneficial for winegrowing: it is precisely such conflicting climatic influences that give the wines their fruity taste and bouquet.

The Krems Valley is only a small winegrowing area, but there are two different types of soil here.

• The rolling highlands and the eastward falling slopes of the "Bohemian Massif" are some of the oldest formations in the world. In the Krems area, it is made up of various types of gneiss, whose weather-beaten forms make up the original Urgestein (primary rock) of the terraced vineyards to the west of the city. This is excellent soil for growing Riesling.
  
  
• But the loess soil is of particular importance for viticulture in Krems. The loess was formed in the most recent Ice Age some 300,000 years ago. It is mainly found on the southern and southeastern slopes of the Krems vineyards. It provides optimal conditions for growing the famed Grüner Veltliner of Krems with a lot of spice and fine structure.