Wine Diary
Just a few drops
The magnificent autumn weather has held for another week! At the moment a small depression is tracking over Austria, but for a few drops we didn’t notice anything.
Those recent cool nights have done incredibly well for the fruit. Aromas are multilayered and expressive. The last Pinot and Chardonnay grapes just have been brought in. They will be followed by lighter, spicy Grüners for “Kamptal Terrassen” and by more, fruity, peppery Zweigelt grapes.
Yesterday, we picked the finest grapes for our Zweigelt Reserve. In early summer we had “divided” the bunches. With scissors, we had cut away a third to half of each bunch, measured from the tip. After pruning, “thinning out” the shoots and green harvesting, this quality measure ensures once more a further quantity reduction for the benefit of concentration and complexity. Manually dividing bunches leaves enough space to the remaining berries, which will not be pressed too tightly against each other. Burst berries evidently would be an ideal playground for all types of fancy bacteria and fungus that we would never like to have in our fermentation vats! It is a real pleasure to wander along the Zweigelt vineyard rows and taste a berry now and then! Their spice, freshness and hints of cherry fruit awaken our curiosity for the future drink! Evidently, we are not only strolling through the vineyards just for fun: At this time we are again out to collect fruit for 100 berry tests. (See entry of August 23rd). We literally have arrived in the middle of harvest, and we just may hope that it continues going so well!