Wine Diary
Final Spurt
Except for a few parcels, it is done! Endurance and utmost care will again have proved the right way for us to go! From Steinmassel, Lamm, Spiegel and Heiligenstein outstanding quality grapes have been brought in. Quantity results though, are more patchy: Lamm, for instance, needed meticulous selection to fulfill the high expectations. Quantities suffered as a result.
“Spontaneous Spiegel”
It is remarkable how rich in extract grapes are, while not showing elevated sugar levels. This seems an advantage of more humid vegetation periods always keeping nutrients at the disposal of the plants. For this reason, we also feel confident to let more barrels than usual ferment spontaneously, and we do not so often rely on our own selected yeast from Heiligenstein. This also applies to Vincent's Spiegel, which already spontaneously started fermentation and seems to be doing really well! Our burgundy varietals have shown no problems with fermentation, for example, the few smaller casks of Spiegel Grauburgunder really gave us a lot of confidence.
Endurance run for the best grapes
After several pre-selections on Ried Käferberg, this great vineyard finally delivered the simply finest possible fruit: completely healthy and perfectly ripe, rich in aromas and extract. This entitles us to great expectations: a brilliant, enormously dense yet no too showy, elegant, typical Veltiner is possible!
2016 might not be the longest or most difficult, but surely the most intensive main harvest period in recent times, as we worked many days through, sometimes in shifts but quasi nonstop!
Sweet (week)end in sight
Some small Riesling and Muskateller vineyards are still to be harvested. The Berries out there are slightly but consistently overripe. We might see a chance for fine sweet wines – of course only if nature plays along: seems that the deer, the birds and some hikers are reducing our hopes daily!
Just like marathon runners crossing the finish line, we save ourselves going into this highly merited weekend – get some rest, “recharge batteries”; while in the cellar we keep an eye on the wines prospering in all tranquility!