The secret behind the long and prosperous winegrowing history of
Gols lies in the
very favourable climate of the Seewinkel. Unlike most other regions of Austria the
Seewinkels offers typical continental weather with very hot and dry summers and
comparatively cold winters. We have about 2000 hours of sunshine on roughly 300 sunny
days every year and as little rainfall as about 500 mm (20 inches). Additionally the
nearby lake with its big water surface of 285 square kilometers (110 square
miles) acts as a huge heat reservoir. It is a buffer that prevents abrupt temperature
drops in winter and even more important in spring when the young vine roots and blossoms
are especially susceptible to damage by late frost. During summer and autumn the lake
again acts as a temperature buffer making the nights warm and mild and also provides
the humidity which is so important for the development of Botrytis and therefore
high-grade dessert wines.
With all its local climate influences the lake extends the growing season in the
Seewinkel area for several weaks every year and
provides conditions that clearly rank it among the best and most famous wine growing
regions of the world. There are not many other regions in the world, if any, that can
for example yield top quality wines of the very fastidious Cabernet Sauvignon variety
alongside most precious dessert wines like Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) and Eiswein
(Icewine). Of course many other exclusive white and red wines of traditional and
international varieties also grow excellently in such conditions.
