HEIDI SCHRÖCK BLAUFRÄNKISCH RIEDE KULM BURGENLAND
Heidi Schröck took over her family’s 10 hectare estate in 1983, in the famous village of Rust, Burgenland, just five miles from the Hungarian border. Her south-east facing vineyards along the western banks of Lake Neusiedl form a semi-amphitheatre, which provides considerably more sunlight hours compared to the rest of Austria. The soils here are sandy with clay, gravel, grey quartz and schist. With help from her twin sons, Johannes and Georg, Heidi sustainably cultivates the classic Austrian varieties, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St Laurent, as well as pioneering the revival of traditional varieties, such as Furmint, better known today across the Hungarian border.
The Kulm vineyard grows in the heart of the Ruster hill and has the oldest Blaufränkisch vines. These were planted in 1955 by the great grand aunts of Heidi and grow small and concentrated berries every single year. The soil is sandy loam with mica schist and gneiss. The vines are trained in the guyot simple method. Viticulture is done sustainably, without the use of herbicides or insecticides and the growth of local plants as cover crop is encouraged.
The grapes were hand-harvested and quickly transported to the winery where the fruit was destemmed and transferred into stainless steel tanks. Fermentation lasted for approximately three weeks, with gentle pump-overs twice a day. After pressing, the wine was filled into large old oak barrels (up to 60 years old) where it underwent malolactic fermentation. Following one final racking and a gentle filtration the wine was bottled just before the next vintage.
Heidi’s ‘Ried Kulm’ Blaufränkisch is a benchmark example of Burgenland’s signature variety. Ruby red in colour, with aromas of red forest berries and black pepper, ‘Ried Kulm’ has a vibrant and lively palate, with fine-grained tannins and a long finish.
7000+ Reviews!
