Wine Diary
Well Managed!
The situation following the floods in large parts of Central and Eastern Europe has been very well documented in the media. Just this much: long-term measures based on the experience of the last major flood on the Kamp in 2002*, as well as an impressive performance by the civil protection services featuring many volunteers, were able to prevent the worst for the winegrowers in our municipality. Most of the vineyards in the plains and along the rivers that were affected by the water had already been harvested. This means that the damage here is limited. However, the quantity will probably have to be adjusted downwards again.
*PS: the 2002 vintage was ultimately very successful, despite all the prejudices, as examples from Käferberg, Loiserberg and Heiligenstein still show today!
At Bründlmayer, we got through the cool, stormy days of heavy rain well and resumed the harvest without hesitation. It is strange how quickly the image of the storm fades when we are working in the vineyards today in the most glorious harvest weather, and that is also important and good, because there is still a lot to do to actually fully exploit the high qualitative potential of the 2024 harvest and we intend to do nothing else!
Lots of confidence
The green vineyards on the hills and terraces around Langenlois have of course also reacted to the cold, wind and rain. In most cases, the gradations have dropped slightly or remained at the high levels they showed before the weather change. All in all, we are positively impressed by the condition and taste of the grapes, which we received in the cellar on the first sunny day after the last night of rain. The rocky subsoil in large parts of the Kamptal drains the water away quickly. Anyone working today in vineyards such as Steinberg, Dechant or even the somewhat lower-lying Bockshörndl will hardly notice the floods that poured over the whole of Lower Austria the days before.
We started picking Zweigelt and some Merlot for our popular rosé wines. At the same time, we picked the last well-ripened Chardonnay grapes from the Steinberg. Now the focus is on Grüner Veltliner, with the lighter qualities intended for Kamptal Terrassen and those from Erste Lagen or older vineyards for our local wine “Langenloiser Alte Reben”.