Agricultural and economic activities carried out by the Cistercian religious order in distinct locations from the mother monastery were concentrated around so-called “granges” (monastic grange)—enclosed estates housing a church, manor house, additional residences, a well, buildings for agricultural and economic activities, a mill, frequently fish ponds, and sometimes a tavern.
Probably on account of its ecclesiastical owners, Domaene Lilienfeld (Lilienfelderhof) has played an important role in private and public life in Pfaffstätten and the Thermenregion.
Grape varieties from the extended Burgundian family have traditionally flourished in the gentle warmth of the Thermenregion (it was most likely Cistercian monks in the Thermenregion who originally introduced the Pinot noir grape to Austria from the Order’s motherhouse in Burgundy) and the contemporary revitalisation of Domaene Lilienfeld / Lilienfelder Hof foresees a viticultural focus on these varieties, complemented by the autochthonous Rotgipfler.
Currently vineyards belonging to Domaene Lilienfeld are planted with Rotgipfler (a cross between Traminer, a parent of the Burgundian Pinot noir, and the Austrian Roter Veltliner), Weissburgunder (a.k.a.
Roman legionnaires stationed in Carnuntum and Vindobona 2,000 years ago encountered an intact tradition of winemaking to the south of Vienna, which they subsequently improved through the introduction of superior Italian grape varieties.