Wine Diary
Show down – harvest has begun!
Following the very much longed-for rains in August, more warm and sunny weather quickly has advanced grape maturity. Since the beginning of this week we are harvesting! A glimpse in the vineyards shows that lignification of the stalks and seeds has already started. In comparison to the cool vintage of 2016, this is again an early year.
All available forces are helping with the harvest. In many sites grapes for Sekt base wines have attained ideal ripeness: sugar is low enough, the healthy grapes already have good flavor, acidity is still very fresh, yet no longer aggressive.
We have started with perfectly clean St. Laurent, followed by Zweigelt and Pinot Noir for our Brut Rosé. Then we will go out for Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay along with some Grüner for our Brut. Later we may take in Chardonnay and Pinot for Extra Brut or even a “Blancs de Blancs”. Here we look for just a bit more maturity, the wines may have a tiny bit more weight, but should never be heavy. Bründlmayer “Blanc de Blancs” is new to our sparkling portfolio. The first offering will be presented in October, consisting of Chardonnay only.
The weather forecast for the eastern parts of Austria seems promising. Short showers now and then will be easily absorbed by the dry soils and not do any harm; persistent warm rains would clearly not be welcome!
Our young trainees have now arrived from all parts of the world and are contributing to the good mood. They are really keen on harvest! For us, this is the most passionate time of the year, like the show down in a movie.