Wine Diary
Fresh wind, clouds and drops of rain
Autumn is slowly but steadily revealing its other face! It got colder. In the vineyards and at the presses, pullovers have replaced T-shirts. Every now and then, short rain showers chase across the country but hardly prevent us from harvesting. Moreover, the cool weather keeps grapes healthy and enriches them with new flavors.
As all the sensitive Burgundy grapes and the silky (and this time especially small berried) Zweigelt are safe in the cellar, we are concentrating on our Kamptal key varietals: on Steinmassl we started picking for the classic Riesling and so far got highly delicate grapes with perfect gradation (around 18-19 KMW/90°Oechsle). That looks promising for all further Riesling sites. At the same time we are getting day by day good quantities of healthy Grüner Veltliner grapes, which hardly need selection. They will add spice, fruit and profoundness also to the lighter wines. Next week we may start with the final third of harvest, maybe also the most challenging one.
After harvest is before harvest!
The vineyard as the greatest treasures of a grower need good care all around the year, also right after harvest. To all who wander along the Langenlois “WEINWEG” we recommend a break at Käferberg, close to the artist Heim Zobernig’s sculpture and have a look at the wonderful LYRA-trained Pinot Noir vineyard: only days before those vines had been relieved of their valuable fruit and, at their feet, already freed of all concurring weed. The soil has been opened just along the rows with utmost care and, in case of rainfall, the roots might enjoy the water. The whole vineyard looks inviting, healthy and well tended. The term “vine dresser” would fit perfectly here!