Blaufränkisch in the Ried Setz

Today it is sunny and windy. Historically, the Blaufränkisch grapes in the
Setz are the earliest to ripen.

Despite this we picked the Ried Point first out of respect for the
threatening rain, since the soils there are more moisture-retentive, and
there is a danger of the vines pumping too much water into the grapes.

Setz, with its light fossil-rich soil of limestone and slate is very quick
to despatch water into the deeper layers of the ground, so that the berries
remain unaffected.
They are fully ripe and sweet, with crisp skins. Many are shrivelled-up, but
in a healthy condition.

The sugar-gradation is extremely high, reinforcing our estimate of the
vintage's superior quality.

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The first of the Blaufränkisch

The weather forecasters are promising rain for the weekend.
So with all the hands we can muster, we are picking as much of the
Blaufränkisch grapes in our Ried Point as quickly as we can.
We can already see shrivelled berries in healthy shape, no botrytis, which
is the hallmark of a great vintage.
And the weather held off—we've done with harvesting the Point.

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The whites are all in the house!

Thanks to our energetic support crew, the white wine clusters are now nearly
all in the cellar.
Our dog Ian, a male Hovawart, helped himself to a sampling, while the
woodland birds, pheasants and deer consumed significantly more-
and even the pickers enjoy nibbling on grapes at harvest time.

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Harvesting our Gloria

As the crowning conclusion to the white wine harvest, we are picking the
Chardonnay in Ried Gloria today.
We've got simply wonderful autumn weather for harvesting these fully ripened
grapes.
2015 looks to be a truly great vintage.

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Chardonnay from the Neusatz

Harvest, destemming, a light crushing, pressing – and then directly 'en
pièce' it goes; a Burgundian-sized cask containing 228 litres...

Our Ried Neusatz, with its favourable southernly exposure, is fully ripe –
the refractometer shows a solid 21° on the Klosterneuburg scale—
close to 104° Oechsele.

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In the Press House

And now we've got to be quick!
The temperature is up, and so the grapes must be protected against oxidation
from exposure to the air.
The must comes out of the press beautifully fresh and green.

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Harvesting Tatschler

It's absolutely marvellous autumn weather, and we have fifteen pickers at
work harvesting Ried Tatschler.
The work we put in all year will certainly be rewarded in this vintage. The
grapes are fully ripe and delicious.

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Methusalenreben

As the last section of the Ried Steinmühle, we picked our Sauvignon Blanc
'Methusalenreben'.

Along with extreme ripeness, a small proportion of botrytis berries comes
into the mix as well.
The grapes measure 20.5° on the Klosterneuburg must-weight scale – just a
little over 102° Oechsle – with 6.5 grams/litre acidity;
these figures are promising indicators of having a great wine on our hands.

During processing in the cellar, we try to eliminate exposure to oxygen as
much as possible, in order to conserve the aromatic potential of the grapes.
So we use CO2 to inhibit the influx of oxygen.

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Harvesting the Chardonnay Leithakalk

Small berries, ripe and healthy – these are the essential characteristics of
the 2015 vintage at the Kollwentz Estate in Grosshöflein on the Leitha
Range.

All attributes of a splendid vintage.

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Sauvignon Blanc Steinmühle

The clear grape must of the Sauvignon is drawn into the cellar, while the
colloidal particles left behind are composted together with the pomace.

Fermentation begins one or two days later in our large casks of native oak.
Two old barriques receive what its left over.

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Picking the Sauvignon Blanc grapes from our vineyard Ried Steinmühle

The Sauvignon is now fully ripe, reaching a level of 20° KMW – the
Klosterneuburg must-weight scale – comparable to 100° Oechsele or about
23.5° Brix;
but you wouldn't know it looking at the grapes. The broad leaf-canopy of
this year's vegetation period succeeded in protecting the clusters from
excessive exposure to the sun.

In the press house, the grapes once more undergo a stringent selection after
de-stemming (where the stalks are separated from the grapes).
The berries are then lightly crushed and conveyed to the press, where they
rest under a protective atmospheric blanket for a few hours of maceration
before the pressing begins.

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