25. September 2011

A curious jumble in the cellar—what's going on here?

The two tanks in the middle between the barrels—we call them 'companion tanks'

If you didn't see the corresponding installment of 'What's new?,' here's the explanation:

If a horse spent too much time by itself in the stall, it would quite often develop behavioural problems. But if you were to put another creature in the stall with it—even if it were a goat—these temperamental difficulties did not occur. So the expression arose, 'companion goat.'

Our barrels are filled with must before the onset of fermentation. During fermentation, carbon dioxide is produced, and this would cause the barrels to overflow—for this reason we put a couple little tanks next to them, into which we divert a portion of the must during the most violent phase of the fermentation. Afterwards the must can very gently—that means with least motion and distance involved—be replaced in the barrels. So that's why we call them companion tanks.

23. September 2011

Now it's getting interesting: What shall we pick first? In the cool early morning we harvested the last of the Chardonnay in Leithagebirge. After that we went back once more to the Blaufränkisch, where we picked the last grapes out of 'Setz' on this glorious late-summer day. Now there's only one Blaufränkisch vineyard left to pick—this one is not earmarked for red wine, but rather for Rosé. The hailstorm on the 14th of May damaged this vineyard so extensively that a satisfactory level of ripeness—even in this outstanding vintage—could not be attained. Nevertheless, this site will provide material well-suited for making a fruity Rosé.

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22. September 2011

After Monday's rainfall and the cooling that came with it, today we've harvested the Chardonnay vineyards in the Leithagebirge. Already we can hear the first 'blub-blub' of fermentation. Yesterday we picked the first Blaufränkisch out of Setz—now we're already working on the Ried Point, and then after that in the Haussatz.

Ripeness is very good, the grapes are crunchy and the flavour is great.

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16. September 2011

Now there are only three to go. Chardonnay, Blaufränkisch and Cabernet Sauvignon. On the schedule for today we've got the virgin harvest from the chardonnay in Neusatz/Obere Kräft'n.

The grapes are very ripe, and we'll be able to harvest healthy and small-berried bunches.

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15. September 2011

Under the best possible weather conditions, we shall finish the Zweigelt harvest today. The grapes are totally ripe—one can even observe the rare phenomenon of contraction among healthy non-botrytised berries.

In the cellar, there's consistently more to do. Aeration of the red wines is numbered among the meditative activities.

What is that? Correct: foaming Zweigelt must at the onset of fermentation.

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8. September 2011

It looked a bit doubtful for a while, but the good weather held. Now we've picked Pinot Noir from the Ried Dürr. After selective hand-harvesting, the grapes were sorted once more in the cellar before they arrived well-cooled in the fermentation tank. The dry ice brings out a bit of fog. Dry ice (-78°C), upon warming, goes from solid to gas without pausing to liquefy, a process that experts call 'sublimation.'

Treasures from a wonderful country

Burgenland owes its characterful wines to the Pannonian climate in its most striking form. The Pannonian climate is characterized by cold winters poor in snow, hot and dry summers as well as a long and mild autumn, which is also known as "Indian summer".

Lake Neusiedl functions as a climatic regulator. Its surface, which extends over 320sq.km, exerts a temperature moderating influence, thus creating ideal conditions for the cultivation of vines.

From the lake westwards, one reaches the Leithagebirge after having passed the gentle slopes of the Ruster Hügelland and the Wulka Plain. Grosshöflein is located at the foot of the highest elevation called Sonnenberg. The vineyards extend over the hills of the Leithagebirge that are oriented towards the south and the southeast.