A new player in the world of Austrian high-quality wines At the beginning, there was an idea: butcher Hans Schwarz decided to use grapes growing on vineyards owned by the family for generations to create his first homemade wine and start a winemaking business. With the help of two famous vintners, the family established a vineyard that today creates awardwinning red wines. TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN  |  PHOTOS: SCHWARZ VINEYARD

The Schwarz vineyard in Andau lies only a stone’s throw away from the Hungarian border. Andau is not only a village full of history, but also the warmest spot in all of Austria. The gravel soil stores the heat during the day and releases it during the night, keeping the vines warm and comfortable. This combination of weather and soil makes the grapes cultivated and harvested here so special and full of taste. It 30  |  Issue 50  |  May 2017

is well-suited for high-quality grapes like the Zweigelt, an Austrian grape variety first cultivated in the 1920s. “Our philosophy is to put only 100 per cent-quality grapes into the bottles,” says vineyard owner Hans Schwarz. Hans Schwarz family has owned vineyards for generations but never actually made their own wine and instead delivered

the grapes to a local wine cooperative. Schwarz worked in a completely different food sector before founding a professional vineyard: he was and is a butcher. But having worked in the food business – even if it was such a different produce like meat – today helps Hans Schwarz to make great wines. “The raw products no matter if meat or grapes have very much in common, because raw produce relies on the pH-level and other important factors like temperature, hygiene and taste.” Wine enriches the taste of food and vice versa – that is commonly known. “No matter if meat or other dishes, there is always a wine that tastes great with it. In my opinion, food and wine belong together,” says Schwarz.