The young ones first
05. Oktober 2009 | 10:20
While the harvest is already nearing its end in many places, the situation in the hills around Langenlois is only now becoming exciting.
At estate, 5 October marks the beginning of the main harvest.
We harvest according to the age of the vines: the young ones come first.
Every grape demands on energy: whatever energy at the plant can still draw from the late autumn sun by means of photosynthesis should now go into extending the root system, strengthening the structure of the wood, or building up a winter reserves. The young vines yield a light and fresh, uncomplicated wine such as the Zweigelt Rosé which can be drunk with real pleasure during the next 24 months.
Stronger than ever before, this harvest season makes me feel a strong animosity against machine harvesters, which are beginning to conquer several regions, now also the Kamptal.
They are noisy, they compact the soil (thus destroying biodiversity), they physically hit the vines (thus causing diseases later on), and they are unfortunately not selective, the most important precondition for dissatisfying wine quality. Due to the irregularity of grape qualities in 2009, there is simply no substitute for a selective and attentive manual harvest.
It is easy to make a good wine out of good and healthy grapes. Concentration during harvesting, hygiene and careful pressing are the most important criteria. Only imperfect grapes necessitate intervention in the cellar.
This year, the Riesling will be a special case, as it has been attacked by botrytis (Noble rot) more strongly than usual.
This will make it necessary to divide every single bunch of grapes.
Green and yellow berries will make a fine, fresh and fragrant Riesling, noble botrytis can be used for a Riesling sweet wine, for instance a Beerenauslese. All other material and other fungi must be eliminated in the vineyard by cutting them to the ground.
While the grape material at the Bründlmayer winery is sorted directly in the vineyard, other producers prefer harvesting all grapes and sorting the good from the bad in the cellar on sorting tables or moving bands.
This method can also yield good results.
Many roads lead to Rome, many paths lead to a good wine.
The grape material at the Bründlmayer winery is sorted directly in the vineyard.
