The average full-time Austrian winery has
2.5 hectares of vineyards planted with ten to twenty different
grape varieties. There is nothing average about the award-winning
Hirsch Winery in Kamptal that has specialized in two varieties,
Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, from 20 ha in the famous
Heiligenstein, Lamm, and Gaisberg vineyards. Unwilling
to sacrifice his wines to cork-taint, Johannes Hirsch is
the first in Austria to bottle premium single vineyard
wines under Stelvin screw cap closures. ( website: http://www.weingut-hirsch.at )
Johannes Hirsch received his education in viticulture
and enology at Klosterneuburg, the oldest school for vintners
in Austria. Subsequently he gained work experience in New
Zealand, California, Australia, and South Africa before joining
his father Josef Hirsch in their family winery. Father and
son continue to strive together for the highest quality possible,
combining generations' experience of the local terroir with
modern knowledge and international exposure.
Father, Josef Hirsch, oversees the vineyards.
The vines are densely spaced with less than 5,000 vines per
hectare. Grüner Veltliner develops its typical varietal
spiciness and abundance of fruit in loam and loess soils
while Riesling excels on primary rock. No chemical fertilizers
are used and instead goat's dung is relied upon to nourish
the soils. Meticulous canopy management and multiple passes
through the vineyard at harvest ensure physiological ripeness
for premium single-vineyard wines.
Having the vintage's best quality grapes at
his disposal, Johannes Hirsch relies on whole cluster pressing
and spontaneous fermentation in temperature controlled stainless
steel with the ambient vineyard yeasts. The Grüner Veltliner
Lamm, Riesling Gaisberg, and Riesling Heiligenstein each
express their particular site and are monumental wines worthy
of long bottle maturation.
Frustrated by cork spoilage, the Hirsch winery
is the first in Austria to bottle its premium wines under
a Stelvin closure. This has created quite a stir in the domestic
media for what is becoming the quality closure of choice
for many prestigious white wines in the new world is still
taboo in Europe. One must only wonder why the otherwise uncompromising
Hirsch family are making two bottlings for each of their
premium wines. While the April bottling captures the youthful
vivaciousness and makes sense for wines destined to be drunk
young, it is the September bottling that gives the Hirsch
premium wines time to develop their typical richness, complexity,
and depth. More puzzling is that although the September bottling
will be under a Stelvin closure, the April bottling will
have a synthetic stopper. Although the synthetic stopper
satisfies the traditional, aesthetic need of consumers to
remove a stopper from a bottleneck with a corkscrew, unlike
the Stelvin, the synthetic stopper is by no means proven
an adequate long-term closure for high-quality non-oaked
white wines.
4-fun Questions
Johannes Hirsch answers:
What is the most exciting thing about the
Austrian wine branch?
International demands for Austrian wines are exploding. People are discovering
Grüner Veltliner as a real all-rounder; a talented wine with food and
a wine with appeal to novices and connoisseurs alike. The Austrian-style Riesling
is dry, fruity, monumental, and minerally ---- exactly what demanding consumers
are looking for in a modern white wine.
What do you love most about the Kamptal?
After traveling extensively, I still find the Kamptal landscape the most beautiful
in the world. We've got an old stone hut in our Riesling vineyard on the
Heiligenstein Mountain. It's a peaceful, romantic place to enjoy lunch with
a view after a morning's work among the vines.
What do you enjoy most in your work?
It is certainly never boring! Just when I get finished with a job in the vineyard,
its time to head into the cellar; my job is very multi-facetted and I am
always learning something new. I'd like to say I enjoy being my own boss
and setting my own hours, but the weather never takes weekends off and there
are times it doesn't let me either.
If you had to take one wine style to each
of the following what would it be and why?
A Rendezvous?
I would take a light, fresh Riesling to enjoy in the sunshine because it would
encourage fun conversation.
Dinner with very good friends?
A nicely matured, full-bodied Grüner Veltliner because it would go with
nearly any food and it is appropriate for every occasion.
An isolated desert island?
A light Grüner Veltliner would help me survive the heat and the sun and
because it is so popular, I wouldn't be alone for long!
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