Weingut Bründlmayer

For the 70th anniversary of the Salzburg Festival once again a Bründlmayer white wine which has been chosen to create the appropriately festive atmosphere during the culinary events accompanying this dizzying cultural feast. Willi Bründlmayers Salzburger Festspielwein 2010 comes from the Loiser Berg, the „house vineyard“ of Langenlois.

Highly acclaimed on the international scene and distinguished by the first growth status according to the classification of the Austrian Traditional Wineries, it grows on a southwest facing a vineyard, where Willi’s father planted Grüner Veltliner vines during the 1960s - a labourious task, as there is only little soil covering the gneiss and slate layers underneath. Back then, his colleagues were astonished about his obstinacy, after all, wine was scarce and he was thought to be a sensible man.

So why plant wines where only sheep could graze? Bründlmayer senior, however, was not only sensible but also a passionate winemaker. He had a profound understanding of traditional wisdom of his craft and was already in touch with international winemakers.  He understood that the vines had to be forced to drive their roots through the cracks in their primary rock in their search for water and that together with the moisture that they would assimilate minerals from the Gföhl gneiss. He called the wine made from these vines Berg-Vogelsang, birdsong, because the vineyard situated directly at the border with the “Waldviertel” (lit.”wood quarter”) close to a small forest with a large bird population.  The vineyard was fenced in, otherwise the wonderful grapes would have been little more than an autumnal snack for the wildlife of the area.

Willi Bründlmayer junior has continued his father's work and transformed the vineyard into one of the jewels of the winery. In an age dominated by mass wines our Berg Vogelsang has a solid following far beyond Austria's borders.Once again, the last vintage was included among the top hundred wines by the renowned Wine Spectator. Another proof that great and fine wine does not have to be powerful to be recognized as such.