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Burgenland
wine region
Sattler
Vineyards are located in the wine growing region of northern Burgenland
in the village of Tadten, 50 miles southeast of the Austrian capital,
Vienna. Exposed to an average 300 days of sunshine a year, it
is by far the sunniest and warmest region in Austria. Furthermore,
the local climate is influenced by the expansive water surface
of Lake Neusiedl located nearby. The lake functions as a climate
control mechanism, lowering temperatures in the summer, contributing
to milder winters and providing even humidity all year round.
Vintners can expect Noble Rot (Botrytis) every year due to the
proximity of the lake, foggy and humid mornings and sunny afternoons
during the late fall. A variety of grapes can be found on the
soils of northern Burgenland, namely: Zweigelt, St. Laurent, Blaufraenkisch,
as well as Welschriesling, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Traminar
and Muskat-Ottonel, the latter being the historic specialty of
the region. Today, the region is producing Austria's best red
wines, excellent white wines and some of the best sweet wines
in the world.
History
Celts
and Romans initiated the production of wine in this part of Austria.
In fact, the first documentation of winemaking in Tadten is from
1250 which describes the donation of a Tadten vineyard to the
Abbey of Csorna in Hungary. In 1450, settlers from southern Bavaria
and Cistercian monks planted larger vineyards in the area. During
the Austro-Hungarian empire, the area became one of the most significant
wine growing regions of the empire and was especially known for
the production of excellent sweet wines. In around 1850, wine
growers started to plant more black grapes in addition to the
predominant white varieties. Since then, black grapes have been
pushed into the foreground and dominate as the principle grapes
of the region.
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