Twenty years ago, Franz planted what he thought was Pinot Noir in the Frettner Vineyard in Sópron; turns out, the vine-nursery mislabeled the vines and now we have a premium site planted to Pinot Blanc (Fehérburgundi). The slate soils and relatively low yields result in concentrated grapes with good extract. The wine is wild fermented in neutral puncheons and rests on fine lees for a year before bottling. 850 cases were produced this year. 12% ABV.

Weingut Weninger

Franz Weninger lives and works just south of the Neusiedlersee in Austria's Burgenland. His biodynamic estate has vineyards both in Austria and Hungary. Franz is incredibly dedicated to the land he farms. His father understood the importance of organic farming and revitalizing local grape varieties. Still, Franz has taken it to the next level by converting the entire estate to biodynamics and replanting many sites to the appropriate traditional grape varieties: Blaufrankisch and Furmint. Despite his conviction, he refuses to pull out his father’s old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah – as long as Franz Sr. is alive, the vines will remain.

Their location at the southern end of the Neusiedlersee in Burgenland permitted them to purchase land across the border in Hungary. The Sopron region was once part of Burgenland and contained some of their favourite sites. Franz took over this part of the estate early in his career after graduating from Klosterneuburg and travelling the world on internships. In 2011, he took over production on the Austrian side of the border and had really fine-tuned the winemaking.