Viceroy Archduke Rainer – The Legacy in Red

Archduke Rainer Joseph Johann Michael Franz Hieronymus – Viceroy of Lombardy–Venetia, Habsburg, visionary, botanist, designer. His name stands not only for power and politics, but for a life shaped equally by intellect and passion. Rainer lost his parents early and grew up in the court of his brother, Emperor Francis II. His family – few dynasties in Europe were as influential: Empress Maria Theresa was his grandmother, Marie Antoinette his aunt. As befitted his rank, he was trained in military and political sciences, but his heart beat for other things: for flowers, blossoms, trees, for the minerals of the earth. A love of nature that would accompany him throughout his life.

When he married Elisabeth of Savoy-Carignan in 1820, he found in her an ideal companion. She shared his passion, painted flowers, and made a name for herself through it. Together, they lived in Milan and Venice, shaping the lands entrusted to them. Rainer ruled with foresight and social awareness, and knew how to unite the best of different worlds. Stability and progress, tradition and renewal – he brought them into harmony.The traces of his work are still visible today. He advanced the construction of the Venice–Milan railway line, designed the royal gardens in Monza, and in 1851 bought Castel Sallegg for his family.

Eight children grew up with Elisabeth before the family moved to Bolzano. In the Palais Erzherzog Rainer – today’s Palais Campofranco – he withdrew from politics, promoted culture and social projects, and devoted himself entirely to flower cultivation. The flower exhibitions in Bolzano, initiated by him, still carry his spirit today. In 1853, Archduke Rainer died and was buried in the Church of the Assumption of Mary. Yet his legacy lives on – in Castel Sallegg, in the gardens, in the family.

Today, Count Georg von Kuenburg, his great-great-great-grandson, continues to run the winery in Caldaro, connecting the history of the Habsburgs with a contemporary vision of wine and culture.

With the Cuvée Rénier from the Nobilis line, Castel Sallegg pays tribute to this extraordinary man. A wine that reflects the union of intellect and heart – powerful and clear in its structure, yet delicate and elegant. A wine that, like its namesake, brings stability and progress, tradition and passion into harmony – and shows how history continues to unfold in every glass.