Christian Tschida (pronounced like cheetah) has the great fortune to cultivate 10 hectares of old vines that have been in his family for 4 generations, since the 19th century. The winery is located in the Neusiedler See part of Burgenland, the eastern most point of Austria, more traditionally known for red and sweet wine production. The vineyards consist of sandy gravel, schist and limestone, and all enjoy a moderating influence from the extremely large and nearby Lake Neusiedler. Christian takes a hands off approach to winemaking, and the wines spend a great deal of time in barrel in contact with oxygen, some for as many as 5 years before bottling. Christian ferments all of his wines in closed top tanks that sit in the shade outside, in which the grapes are foot stomped, and then the juice is moved inside to barrel for aging. Many of the wines receive zero sulfur additions, except some of the reds, which Christian feels benefit from a small dose of sulfur at bottling.
Vinification Method: Grapes were hand-harvested, gently pressed and fermented aged in a large Stockinger barrel for 4 years without topping-up. Bottled without fining or filtering, no addition of sulfur.
Personality: we all know this guy is capable of incredible wines but wow. Dense, focused, precise, incredibly layered, and full of details that Christian cares about so much. Truly unique and rare white.
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Funky crazy one of a kind Gruner Veltliner. Grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and crushed by foot. The juice ferments in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. Some barrels remain in contact with the skins for a short amount of time.
Hints of tropical fruit, pineapple and sour apple.