In June, we bottled the new vintage of Stefan’s “Wildrose” series. Expressive wines that reflect the diversity of our vineyards and are bottled in their natural state: unfiltered and unfined. Specifically, these are a Grüner Veltliner, a Sauvignon Blanc, a cuvée from the aromatic grape varieties Gelber Muskateller, Muskat Ottonel and Scheurebe aka “Bouquet”, a Roter (red) and a sparkling Riesling PetNat.

After a winter with rather little precipitation, the year began neither early nor late. From the end of April, the weather was mainly humid. The total amount of precipitation was not noticeably more, however, there were constantly small rain showers. This made it particularly difficult in the vineyard, especially with regard to the fungal disease downy mildew. Careful vineyard work and targeted plant protection were very important. Wet weather also set in during the ripening phase, as a result of which the Grüner Veltliner, in particular, had to wait. Indian summer at the beginning of October was still able to push the final ripening. The harvest had to be very precise and required time and patience. The grapes were carefully selected, and rotten berries were picked out. The first wines are elegant and light on their feet, but very harmonious.

We are pruning our wines at the moment to provide a basis for the growing season. It is important for us, to preserve old vines and keep them healthy and in good condition. This is why we try to harm the plant as little as we can, while cutting back branches. Pruning itself is a slow and steady task, even though you have to concentrate and look at each vine individually. It is important to estimate the vitality of the plant and bring it, with the number of buds you leave, into the right balance for vital growth.

We are proud of our sparkling wines where we use two distinct methods to make our wines fizzy. For the Jahrgangs-Sekt we use the traditional method of bottle fermentation like in Champagne.

For our PetNat and the Rosé Ancestral a we make use of the Methodé Ancestrale: In the end of a rather slow fermentation, the wine is bottled in order to finish off fermentation in the bottle and build up the bubbles naturally, by only using the sugar from the grapes. After one year on lees, the bottles are put upside down without riddling. The excess of yeast and tartar are separated from the wine during degorging, whereby just enough yeast remains to keep the freshness.