Wine Diary
Harvest for Sekt base wine has begun!
The first step into harvest 2018 has been taken, selecting grapes for our Bründlmayer Brut Rosé: Zweigelt, St Laurent und Pinot Noir. It is very important that all berries be immaculate, fresh and not too sweet so that the Brut Rosé will be fine and elegant. But indeed, none of us remember an earlier start for harvest! However, seeds are changing colour, which is an unmistakable indicator for maturity. The whole week has been hot and sunny as in midsummer and gradations have made fast further progress. Most vineyards still seem to burst with power, we seem to be still far away from autumnal senescence.
We are harvesting exclusively by hand. Even if all grapes seem to be healthy throughout, we now and then encounter fruit that should not make it into the presses. Wasps, ants and some wanderers with a sweet palate may be the reason for small injuries of the skin, initiating undesired processes in the berries and may be reflected in the taste of the musts.
Pneumatic whole cluster pressing might be the gentlest way of juice extraction but it also takes a lot of space in the presses and gives the smallest juice yield. The advantage is the quality: good clarity, fresh and elegant juices.
These days, the vineyards around Langenlois are showing of their best to the visitors. We have been well served out of Pomona’s (roman goddess of tree fruits) horn of plenty! Here some Grüner grapes are shining in golden yellow out of the healthy green canopies while just aside deeply red coloured bunches of pinot noir announce a surprising matureness of the red varietals.
However, at a closer look we may quite well distinguish between sites, where green work and thinning out has led to a good balance between fruit and canopy – here the grapes taste the finest.
From everywhere in Austria’s wine country one hears talk about good qualities and great quantities but most of all about the early ripeness! So this year, there might be a seamless transition from “base wine” harvest to the picking of the lighter red and white quality wines.