Dessert Wines :

In the late october days, when the grapes are already overripe, and affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea) we begin harvesting the Prädikatseine (high grade quality wines with especial predicate made out of overripe and often noble rot affected grapes). The sugar content of the grapes is measured every second day to determine the best harvesting date. In Austria the quality gradations are determined by the sugar content of the grapes and the proportion of noble rot affected grapes. The gradations are: Auslese, Beerenauslese, Ausbruch and Trockenbeerenauslese.

Noble rot affection is essential for the production of high grade sweet Prädikatswein. It attains the grapes skin and completely coveres them. Due to its growth on the grapes, their skin becomes permeable, and water starts to vapourize during warm late-autumn days. Thereby sugar, extract and minerals are concentrated in the grapes juice, making them sweeter and richer. Additionally the Botrytis cinerea secrets its metabolic products into the grapes juice alike other noble rots within certain types of cheese, generating the botrytis-touched flavours of these wines.

For the production of Eiswein (Icewine) no noble rot affection is necessary, actually it´s even better if the grape skin is fully intact and the grapes are still juicy. Harvest is only possible after the temperature has fallen to at least -7° Celsius (19,4° Fahrenheit) for several hours, allowing the water in the grapes to freeze almost completely. Only then they can be picked and pressed while still being frozen. This allows us to yield only the concentrated juice whereas the frozen water stays within the grape skins. Because these low temperatures are only reached late in a year, the harvest normally takes place between the end of November and the end of Deceber mostly even in the night. In some unfavourable years sufficiently low temperatures are not reached at all keeping us from making Eiswein. Therefore there always remains some risk in its production.

Due to the special ripening and harvesting methods necessary for Prädikatswein production and the natural juice concentration that takes place thereby, the yields are far lower than with other wine types. That leads to the fact that Prädikatsweine are the rarest and most precious wines of a winegrowers family.

Our dessert wine assortment :

Auslese : Only manually picked overripe and flawless grapes are allowed to be used for that wine. Noble rot is not yet necessary. Presently we offer Auslese wines of the varieties Gewürz Traminer and Welschriesling.

Eiswein : Harvested and pressed while the grapes are frozen, only the concentrated must is used for Eiswein. Presently we use the Sämling 88 variety.

Trockenbeerenauslese : For Trockenbeerenauslese only carfully and manually selected grapes can be used, which all have to be affected by noble rot and dryed out like raisins.

Our "Trockenbeerenauslese Sämling 88, vintage 2001" scored the 1. Rank at a tasting during the wine-fair Berlin in January 2003 within the category "white wine, price above 10 Euro".