Pannonian Alchemists: Eastern and Western Styles
Slightly different styles can be noted on either shore of Lake Neusiedl.
Sandy soils are found in the marshy Seewinkel area on the east side and the area is sprinkled with several small lakes and ponds that support a consistently reliable and very homogeneous botrytis. The spectrum of grape varieties is wide, but Welschriesling, Bouvier and Sämling dominate. The rather neutral Bouvier is slowly being replaced by Burgundian varieties. A lusciously sweet Pinot Gris from the Umathum or Lentsch wineries offers delicious examples. Other wineries like Julius Hafner make world-class dessert wines from aromatic grapes like Muskat Ottonell and Traminer. On this side of the lake, the sweet wines are predominantly varietals that usually reach well over the minimum 30° KMW required for Trockenbeerenauslese. Traditionally, the style is highly concentrated with very high residual sugar and low alcohol.
On the western shore in Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, the celebrated Ausbruch has a long tradition. Here, too, the soils are predominantly light and sandy with most sweet wines coming from vineyards along the lake near Rust with a few pockets of suitable microclimates for noble rot in the hinterland. The sweet wines on this side of the lake are often blends. The Burgundian grapes Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay dominate supported by Neuburger, Muscat Ottonel, Welschriesling, Sämling, and the rare Furmint variety. In the traditional production of Ausbruch, fresh must from non-botrytized grapes from the same vineyard were added to the fermenting wine. "All the wine books still describe the Ausbruch being made that way, but no one uses that method any longer", says winemaker Paul Schandl.
In modern vinification, the addition of about 5% healthy late harvest grapes may be added to the must to increase acidity and sink the sugar content to lie between 27° and 33° KMW. With so much sugar and so little liquid in the must, this helps encourage the fermentation. The result is a wine with higher alcohol and acidity with a more vinous character than the wines from the Seewinkel. "I like to give my wines a very light touch of oxidation," says Kurt Feiler, winemaker at Feiler-Artinger, "They not only gain a beautiful amber color, they also increase greatly in complexity."
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- Pannonian Alchemists: Intro
- Eastern and Western Styles
- Signature Wines
- Personality Profile: Heidi Schröck
- Quiz
Willi Opitz makes not only botrytized sweet wines, but ice wines, and “Strohwein” – dessert wines made from grapes that have been layed out to raisin and dry over a period of 3 months.
