2023

Excellent

Burgenland experienced a year of turbulent weather yet we are happy to announce that a really great vintage developed. Despite a rather small volume to the harvest, the quality of wine maturing in our barrels more than makes up for it. The wines have an intense character, at once full-bodied, spicy and fine. It’s a vintage that will inspire you.

After another mild an dry winter, groundwater levels dropped to an all-time low. Intense winds sweeping across the land at up to 75 mph brought late frosts. It was not until shortly before the bud break in mid-April that fine and steady rains relieved the water situation. Just like in the old days, May saw pleasant daytime temperatures and cool nights. While clearly great for the environment, the steady water supply also caused fungus to sprout on the vines. Some days were downright steamy. The rows between the vines flowered wonderfully, their colors attracting a myriad of insects, and in turn a lot of birds.

By mid-June, the vines were in full bloom when the first heatwave hit. Alternating heat and rain characterized July, which allowed the vines to store rich nutrients. Cool nights typical of our region arrived in August. But summer wasn’t yet over and it remained pleasantly warm well into the fall.

We started harvesting at the beginning of September under dry and warm weather conditions. It was the turn of the Blaufränkisch variety for the mid-October grand finale.

2023 was one of the warmest years on record and the rainiest in our region since 2014. Heat records are falling worldwide, while extreme rainfall and flooding is also affecting people and nature.