You Gotta Have Gols!

Claus Preisinger can be described as a self-confident vintner. His modern winery, newly built in 2009, sits on 19 hectares in the Burgenland region of Austria on the outskirts of the small hamlet of Gols. Located on the northeast side of Neusiedlersee, the largest steppe lake in Europe, Claus’ vineyards are spread across three villages: Gols, his hometown, Weiden, and nearby Mönchhof. With the unique climate of this region, Claus produces the indigenous red varietals of: Zweigelt, Blaufränkish, and St. Laurent as well as Pinot Noir. He has also experimented with white varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.  His recent offerings of a Grüner Veltliner and Pinot Blanc made in a natural method have garnered cult status amongst wine cognoscenti. The first vintage under his own label was in 2000 and in 2004, he became the youngest member of the Pannobile association. Claus is a passionate biodynamic farmer following the principles of Rudolf Steiner, whose philosophy emphasizes respect for the soil, plants, animals, and the natural environment. He uses humus production from cattle and horse manure, and extensively fertilizes with natural compost he proudly creates. According to the principles of biodynamics, he employs homeopathic methods, such as the use of tea as a vine fortifier. In the cellar, Claus prefers to go with his intuition, allowing his wines to be pure and reflect his image of nature.  Claus instinctively connects with his wines and uses his senses, emotion, and passion to help guide them.  The wines are bottled just as they are, natural and low-tech, a reflection of Claus’ own nature.  He will testify this process is both simple and complicated.  If you want to produce delicious Austrian red wine, you gotta have Gols!

The Burgenland

The Neusiedlersee districtus of the Burgenland wine-growing region of Austria is located on the northeast side of Neusiedlersee, an immense endorheic salt lake. The largest of its kind in Europe, it has been classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.  The region is characterized by flat terrain, allowing for long hours of sunshine. It is also known for the Pannonian climate, characterized by cold winters and hot, dry summers. Proximity to Neusiedlersee also imparts a unique salinity to the air, possibly influencing the distinctive minerality in Claus’ wines. The autumn fog, high humidity, and countless shallow lakes dispersed throughout many of the vineyards contribute to the singularity of the Pannonian climate. The range of soils, from silty-sandy, quartz- rich, limestone, loam gravel to löss, offers optimal conditions for various Burgundian varietals to flourish.  With a total of 16 different site locations dispersed among the three villages, he has 64 parcels, ranging from 2 hectares to 7 hectares, all within 18 kilometers from the winery.  He rumbles to these sites in his red conversion van everyday.

Hands Off

If you can learn anything from Claus Preisinger as a winemaker, it would be to follow the rules of nature, which he believes is reflected in the wine. This passion had led him to take his hypersensitivity in the vineyard further into the cellar in recent years. To fulfill this outlook, he has become increasingly more hands off in his winemaking approach.  With his wine nearing an even more raw or natural style, he is using less sulphur and more techniques, such as the use of amphorae, to preserve freshness without the use of chemistry or technology. When it comes to the process of making natural wine, Claus asserts one must, “…work with the most respect for nature, your soils, your vines and the environment, and most important to follow your feelings,” furthermore, “When everything comes straight from the vineyard, there is nothing to do in the cellar.”  Dedicated to this view, Claus has participated in events such as Milléseme Bio and the London RAW Fair and is looking forward to attending the New York City RAW Fair in November of 2016.

Caught Red Handed

Claus dedicates 90% of his plantings to red grape varieties.  His area of Burgenland is best known for the indigenous variety Zweigelt, of which Claus specializes. Zweigelt is considered one of the most important red grape varieties in all of Austria accounting for 30% of the red grapes grown in the country. Created by Dr. Fritz Zweigelt in 1922 by crossing St. Laurent with Blaufränkisch, this variety thrives in most soil types and is especially expressive in Neusiedlersee.   In 2012, the area garnered a DAC designation, cementing its renown for fruity and mineralic Zweigelt. Claus also produces exceptional Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent as well as Pinot Noir, to which he has limited plantings. His so-called “Basic” wine is a blend of Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, a great declaration of this terrior.

Zweigelt “Kieselstein” 2014

100% Zweigelt
Alcohol 12.5%; Acidity 4.8 g/l; Residual Sugar 1.0 g/l
Hand picked in the first weeks of September, first selection in the vineyard, second selection in the winery, natural fermentation in stainless steel tanks, matured for 10 months in small barrels on the yeast.

Juicy, full bodied and at the same time soft, this wine can be served right now and also ages pretty well. It’s a wine about pleasure and joyful drinking.

Claus’ new Zweigelt vintage is labeled with the name “Kieselstein” describing the characteristics of the soil type as pebbly, gravel soils, remnants of the Danube River.

Quality Fanatic

A biodynamic farmer who describes himself as a “low-tech, instinctive, natural” kind of winemaker, Claus is unsurprisingly devoted to quality as well, being a member of Pannobileand Respekt.   The Pannobile association is a cadre of 9 winemaking families from the town of Gols who aim to unify and express the distinct characteristics of the wines grown in this unique terrior. Every year they choose a red and a white wine from one of the members which best amalgamates the qualities they deem representative of the region, bestowing upon that wine the designation of “Pannobile.” It is important for Claus to participate in the Pannobile group, as he says, “ . . .to work with local grapes of designated vineyards to create a unique style of wine from my area.” Claus’ vineyards have been certified biodynamic for 10 years through his membership of Respekt, an association dedicated to produce pristine, quality wine through biodynamical practices.