Wine Diary
As it appears – harvest is about to start!
The current status in the vineyards with 100% healthy material gives us reason for confidence!
Colouring of the early red varietals already had started by the middle of July indicating an early ripeness. For the time being we are around 10 days ahead of 2017, which itself was an early year!
In the vineyards around Langenlois, long, dry periods throughout this extraordinarily warm summer have been interrupted several times by more or less extensive rain showers, doing a world of good to the plants. By the end of July we received again some 55 liters of water per m²! Therefore dry stress can be still kept at a minimum. Nevertheless, we will again unburden our younger vineyards and not endanger their further growth. For the coming weekend more light showers are predicted, and from those we might still benefit. Subsequently we hope for a cool, yet dry and sunny autumn.
Visiting colleagues in Champagne we heard that some renowned Sparkling producers would start harvesting as soon as a certain stonecrop variety (sedum) starts flowering. Now, there are more than a hundred different kinds of stonecrop, a thick leaved water storing plant that can survive in quite dry locations like rocky soils and close to stone walls. Actually, around here there is a nice rose shaded type of stonecrop flowering. However, we would not rely on this sole indicator: the early varietals really do taste already quite well – first stems start to lignify and seeds change colour from a pale green to brown. Recent “100 – berry samples” (you take a mix of single berries from different bunches and examine the quality of the juice) have witnessed an extraordinarily advanced maturity.
Never before have we divided grapes (cut off half of each bunch at the perfect moment in order to reduce crop and enhance quality) in as many vineyards as this year: We now see gorgeous Zweigelt and Pinot Noir on Dechant, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc as well as Grüner Velliner on the “Ried Spiegel” and the “Lamm” vineyards looks promising, though their time has not yet come!
Here we are counting down for the Sekt base wine harvest, beginning with Zweigelt and the early Pinots. This will be thrilling enough as the time frame for outstanding quality - showing lightness and taste, freshness but no green grassy aromas – will be narrow. The utmost concentration will be required!