2_0_DiscoverGermany_May2014_Issue14:Scan Magazine 1
9/4/14
20:28
Page 22
Left, main image: Gschweicher - 85-year-old vines Top: Manager Bernhard Gschweicher loves the changing seasons Above: The estate's Primary Rocks, a wonderful wine with its geology to thank
Weingut Gschweicher and Weinhof Edlinger
Great wine from a soil rich in minerals As the wine ages gracefully in large oak barrels and the grapes flourish in the granite, primary rock soil of Röschitz in Austria’s Weinviertel, two young winemakers are setting new standards in wine production. TEXT: EMMIE COLLINGE | IMAGES: PRESS IMAGES
Close to the Czech border lies Röschitz, a small village with 350 hectares of grape vines. Consistently ranked one of Austria’s top wine-producing areas, it is home to Weingut Gschweicher and Weinhof Edlinger. With its very particular climate – akin to a southern Mediterranean region despite its proximity to the wooded mountains– and distinct geology (part primary rock, part loess), Röschitz’s position on the world wine map has been cemented. Bernhard Gschweicher who tends to his 15 hectares with his parents, knows all too
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well about casks, the ground on which his grapes grow and how the climate affects his yield. The ambitious young oenophile was brought up on the family-run vineyard and spent his youth fascinated by wine. “Bringing it back to the roots,”begins Geschweicher, who took over the management seven years ago,“that’s my aim. We’re letting nature work on the grapes, using wooden casks and avoiding selected yeasts, herbicides and artificial fertilizer.” The result of their hard work can be enjoyed in five variations of Grüner Veltliner, and two topflight Rieslings.
The other ambitious and talented winemaker in the duo is Gschweicher’s neighbour and good friend Hannes Edlinger.
Bernhard Gschweicher & Hannes Edlinger