Best enemies
27. October 2009 | 13:03
In early October, flocks of migrating starlings are leaving behind them a trail of terror: their destruction of the harvest is comprehensive. Fortunately, the threat soon passes, as their birds only linger for a short time during their migration.
Unlike the birds, the deer stay with us for the entire year. In growing numbers they nibble away at the tender shoots of the vines in spring, and in autumn they moved through the vineyards in small herds, true gourmets headed straight for the very best grapes.
The deer families know that winemaker Willi Bründlmayer is not in possession of a hunting licence, which further heightens the attractiveness of his vineyards. It is obvious that the deer families feel very happy here, succulent green covers the ground, the harvest is late, the grapes are sweet and aromatic and hanging (lower than elsewhere) only 60 cm from the ground, at eye level for your average doe. The animals seem quite relaxed as the winemaker approaches them, they know that he is not armed with guns and hunting licence but only with a camera, and only the click of the persuades them to move on. Two minutes later they are tasting the offerings on a different terrace. "Is that Bründlmayer gone already?” asks a young buck. "Let's go back to the Veltliner, that is particularly fine and even sweeter than the Riesling."
Now the grapes are fully ripe. The pips have changed colour from green to dark brown and eventually reach the hue of roasted coffee beans. At this stage, the tannins are full, soft and pleasant. These pips will contribute longevity to wines. At the very end of the process they themselves are pressed cold to win a few drops off valuable grape seed oil.
At the end of the week we will have harvested our classics Grüner Veltliner and Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen, and perhaps even Grüner Veltliner Berg Vogelsang.
