Around late August and early September, the ripeness of the grapes is far enough advanced for the wine producer to begin tasting the berries.

Every day there are changes in the aromatic development, depending on the varietal and the advance of autumn.

Unripe, underdeveloped grapes can now be cut to the ground, dense foliage is eliminated from the grape zone to allow the sun light to reach the bunches and ensure free circulation of the air.

Consistent tasting creates an instinctive relationship to the vintage, and at some point the wine maker simply knows ‘now is the moment to start harvesting’. The rule is: the more patent the wine maker, the better the wines.

The Vintage

The hills around Langenlois were spared during the summer hail storms that destroyed vineyards in the surrounding areas, and the grapes are in wonderful condition.

Strictly speaking the harvest has already begun with the picking of a verjus (from the French ‘vert jus’, green juice). The juice of the green berries will be used as an alternative to lemon juice in salads and sauces at our Heurigenhof Bründlmayer restaurant.( www.heurigenhof.at)

We use our small press for the verjus. Ironically, it is otherwise only used for sweet wines such as Beerenauslesen and Trockenbeerenauslesen.

The harvest thus begins with the hard, green berries and will probably end with soft ‘dried out’ berries in early December.