Welcome to our Wine Diary
Here you will find stories about our latest adventures all around the year. Our family-run winery is located in the sunny middle of Austria’s most eastern state Burgenland.
2 June 2022
Magical moments in the vineyard. The flowering has begun. The Vitis vinifera vines are oogamous, they virtually pollinate themselves. The flowers are closed with a brown cap that bursts open to reveal the pistil and stamens. Pollination occurs when the male pollen sticks to the female ovary. Rain or strong winds could prevent all the ovaries from being pollinated. Therefore, we hope for sunny weather so that there is no “trickling”🙏🏻😍
24 May 2022
Back from the VieVinum in Vienna, the first way led me out into the vineyards today. A wonderful natural spectacle is underway. The flowering of the vines will start soon and will only last a few days. That’s when the right weather for good fertilisation is especially important. The blossom is the so-called “Geschein” and exudes a very subtle and incomparable fragrance.
28 April 2022
The spring temperatures are rising and the days are getting longer … the vines are waking up from their winter sleep and the buds are starting to swell and burst. This process is also called bud break.
16 April 2022
Blaufränkisch makes the world go round 🍷🤩
Today, a 20″ container is loaded with 11 pallets of Blaufränkisch & Co (around 10,000 bottles in total).
💡 The thermofoil serves as protection against heat and cold on the long journey on the high seas. Have a good journey!
15 April 2022
Just before Easter we have finished “tying up” in the vineyards. The spring temperatures are rising and the days are getting longer … the vines are waking up from their winter sleep and the buds start to swell and burst. This process is also called bud break. The vine is a liana plant and strives to grow upwards. To do this, it supplies the eyes (buds) at the end of the route with the most nutrients. By bending and tying to the wire frame, sap builds up and the sap flow is distributed to all eyes so that all eyes are evenly and well supplied – for optimum quality. 🌞🌱🍷
Sub-zero temperatures are the biggest threat to our vines at this time of year. #nofrostplease
11 March 2022
The month when nature awakens but the vines still rest. We have finished pruning, the first important work of the year, because already now the quality of the grapes is defined. 💪 The focus is now on repairing the wire systems and chopping the cut vines, followed by bending and tying the fruit canes onto the lowest wire. This is work that can take place when the daytime temperature is above 10° C, because then the vines are more pliable due to the flow of sap. 🌞🌱
28 October 2021
We are overjoyed to have brought in this year’s harvest well. Our team, my family and the many helping hands have once again given their best with much joy and total commitment, and you can feel and taste that with every sip. A good 2021 vintage is now maturing in the cellar. 
22 October 2021
Done.
26 harvest days.
Handpicked – selection on the vine – best team
DANKE – THANK YOU – KÖSZÖNÖM SZEPEN
19 October 2021
Almost done. The fifth (and hopefully) last harvest week with the third pass of the best batches of our Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc has started. We harvest the best grapes in two passes – all grapes by hand – and these are already selected on the vine. Mario is responsible for the vineyards and visibly satisfied with the quality. The countdown is on. The weather holds, the quality is unique. Fingers crossed.
14 October 2021
We have almost finished the fourth week of harvest. This week we started with the main harvest of our parade variety Blaufränkisch. The weather is holding. We have only had to stop twice so far because of short rainy days, but the many sunny days and cool nights have brought us a lot forward in terms of ripeness. We still have 12 hectares to harvest, it will be the end of October. Due to the cool temperatures, fermentation is slow and at moderate temperatures. Our Magic Rosé is already fermented and brings a beguiling aroma to the cellar.
Andor and Erika are our dream team and have been with us at the winery for over 30 years.
4 October 2021
With us, all grapes are harvested by hand. Why? Only the hand harvest allows a selection of the grapes already in the vineyard and a harvest of the grapes at the optimal time. Not all of them are ripe at the same time. That is why we harvest in up to three rounds. In addition, hand harvesting gives us the certainty that the grapes reach the cellar unharmed and without any leaf residue.
1 October 2021
Yeah! My favourite thing to do… Our Zweigelt 2021 from Ried Siglos is fermented and will be pressed today! Jungeheinrich at the new Jungheinrich 😉 We will also be picking tomorrow Saturday, as bad weather is forecast for next week … so, no quiet weekend ahead …
30 September 2021
While it unfortunately started to rain outside, it’s storming and bubbling in the cellar, the fermentation is in full swing … it’s a pity that you can’t post the scent!
28 September 2021
Stefan, our budding cellar master, is already with us for the 2nd harvest and knows what is most important after work: wash, wash, wash 😉 … and always a smile on his face!
24 September 2021
Happy! The first harvest week is coming to an end. This week we harvested our Zweigelt grapes in consistent autumn weather with lots of sunshine. Next week we will take a few days off from harvesting so that the Blaufränkisch grapes can benefit from the warm autumn sun and ripen perfectly. By the way, ALL grapes are (still!) harvested by hand!
20 September 2021
Let the games begin! 🙂 Full of euphoria and zest for action we start the HARVEST 2021!
We start with Zweigelt in the Alte Weingebirge. We start to manually cut out the grapes that were affected by the hail to give the other berries a few more days to ripen.
17 September 2021
Physiological ripeness is shown by a harmony of sugar and acidity, by a taste ripeness, by ripe tannins, mature, lignified seeds, a largely liquefied pulp and a soft skin with pleasant-tasting tannins.
6 September 2021
With the 100-grape sample we can observe the development of ripeness. To do this, we collect individual berries in a vineyard in order to be able to measure an average value of acidity and sugar. At the beginning of grape ripening at the end of July, the vine stores almost exclusively acids in the softening berries. To do this, it “converts” the sugar formed in the leaves via photosynthesis into tartaric and malic acid. In hot, dry vintages, the vine usually cannot use the abundant sunlight to the same extent as in wetter ones, because it lacks the water necessary for photosynthesis. During the ripening phase that now begins, the sugar content of the grapes increases relatively evenly over a long period of time. While sugar and acid content are strongly dependent on temperature and higher temperatures can accelerate ripening, flavour ripening takes about 100 to 110 days from flowering, almost regardless of temperature.
1 August 2021
On the night of 31 July, hail struck right at the heart of Blaufränkischland. Our vineyards were hit by massive streaks of hail, literally cutting up the grapes and leaves within minutes. The basis for this year’s harvest was severely damaged. We winegrowers have our “workshop” in the open air. Working with and in nature is very fulfilling, but hail, late frost, floods or droughts are becoming ever greater challenges. We hope for a lot of sun so that the heat will dry up the injuries quickly!
27 July 2021
Let’s get started: Grape recolouring for Blaufränkisch!
The last phase in the growth of the grape, which is decisive for the quality of the vintage: the berries become soft and change colour. At the same time, they swell. The weight and volume increase. Sugar is stored in the flesh of the fruit. Final spurt!
22 June 2021
Flowering is in full swing. It takes place 45 to 90 days after budbreak. This year we are 1-2 weeks later than in previous years. The flowers are closed with a brown cap that bursts open to reveal the pistil and stamens. The Vitis vinifera vines are oogamus, they virtually self-fertilise. Pollination occurs when the male pollen sticks to the female ovary. Regen oder starke Winde könnten verhindern, dass alle Fruchtknoten bestäubt werden. Therefore, we hope for sunny weather so that there is no “trickling”, which could lead to yield losses in autumn. 😍
The pollinated ovaries develop into berries immediately after flowering, while the unpollinated flowers wither and fall off. The panicle then has larger or smaller gaps. The fruit set is initially small, green and hard, but it enlarges quite quickly and it is at this time that the vines are most vulnerable to animal or plant pests.
The countdown is on: Now there are 100 days left until the grape harvest.
7 May 2021
Can you feel the magic of the moment? I am really enjoying watching nature awaken. Spring brings us lightness and new beginnings in the most beautiful colours. The legumes in the vineyards have been sown and are valuable sources of nitrogen.
Bacteria make atmospheric nitrogen available for plants.
The legumes produce their own nitrogen fertiliser with the help of nodule bacteria. A classic win-win situation.
Plants that produce their own fertiliser – that may seem surprising at first, but it is reality. Members of the legume family produce the main nutrient nitrogen in their roots and therefore grow quite passably even in unfertilised soil. After all, plant growth is not possible without nitrogen. Field and soybeans, peas, lentils, clover, lupins and lucerne cooperate with soil microbes. The symbiosis brings advantages to both sides.
