Burgenland
This area on the eastern shore of the vast, shallow Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl) is known, in part, for Pradiktswein production, making wines that range from sweet and fruity Spätlesen and Auslesen to noble Beerenauslesen and Trockenbeerenauslesen. But of greater interest to us, among these 7,850 hectares of vineyards, are some of Austria’s greatest red wines being made from the indigenous varieties of Blaufränkisch, St Laurent and Zweigelt by one man: 2014 Winemaker of the Year, Gerhard Pittnauer.
Latitude
47.1537164 N
Longitude
16.268879 E
Velich
Heinz Velich
Winemaker
About
The Velich name might seem familiar to those in the know….we are already incredibly privileged to represent the wines of Roland Velich & his Moric project, who is busy exploring and producing the best of the best that Bläufrankisch has to offer.
These terrific Velich wines on the other hand come from the cellars & vineyards of his family estate, and more specifically the hand of his brother Heinz Velich. The Velich property can be found in the village of Apetlon, in the Seewinkel area of Burgenland’s Neusiedlersee region. Originally planted by Otto Velich in 1933 it has been in the Velich family ever since. Heinz has been guiding the estate forward since the early 1990’s (originally alongside Roland) and in the ensuing 3 decades has dedicated himself to exploring, understanding & expressing the unique landscape where he farms his vines.
Rosi Schuster
Hannes Schuster
Winemaker
About
Rosi Schuster is a Burgentland-based family estate focusing on the indigenous Austrian red grapes Sankt Laurent and Blaufränkisch, as well as Rotburger. Winemaker Hannes Schuster farms the vineyards organically and pursues small yields of exceptional fruit. Musts are fermented gently in wooden or stainless steel open-top fermenters, with both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation taking place spontaneously.
Moric
Roland Velich
Winemaker
About
For more than a decade, winemaker Roland Velich made an intense study of the world's greatest wines of terroir with the explicit goal of finding “that thing”, as he puts it, that a wine must possess in order to achieve greatness. When he felt he'd learned enough, he set out to make an Austrian red wine that belonged in the same pantheon as the great Grand Cru Burgundies, the Northern Rhône and the legendary vineyards of Barolo. So began the Moric project. Its medium is Blaufränkisch, expressed through ancient vines in a challenging growing region, meticulous biodynamic viticulture, obsessive sorting and fairly primitive winemaking techniques. The Burgenland Blaufränkisch is a brilliant starting point, while this beguiling variety reaches its zenith in the old-vine wines from Lutzmannsburg and Neckenmarkt.
Pittnauer
Gerhard Pittnauer
Winemaker
About
It's 20-odd years since Gerhard and Brigitte Pittnauer took over the winery in Gols near Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, bordering Hungary at the eastern edge of Austria. Over that time they've pushed the boundaries of Austrian red winemaking, in particular with St Laurent and Zweigelt. In 2001 the construction of the fittingly striking production hall in the middle of the vineyards allowed for a quantum jump in quality and quantity.