WEINGUT SUMMERER (Kamptal, Austria)
Every vineyard in the world has its appeal but few have such the magnetic attraction to their caretakers as the vines do here. Rupert and Elizabeth Summerer have dedicated their entire souls to the land they have tended since 1997. It is their livelihood, exercise field, meditation place, animal sanctuary, dog run and even pantry for their ceaseless culinary imaginations (only vegetarian ever!). It is their epicenter to commune with Nature. So, to that end, it is clear they would want to preserve and nurture it, organically, in cooperation with its vegetable and animal life. Cover crop is planted for soil health as well as attractants for animal and microbial activity. There is no thought of chemical treatments. They produce vines that will then keep themselves healthy, because they are in harmony with all life. They carry this ethos to the cellar as well. Why ruin a perfectly grown grape? Here, their instruction from nature allows for harmony of the traditional and modern world. The wine makes itself, spontaneously fermenting, but is guided by temperature controlled steel vats, a gentle pneumatic press and a CO2 system for bottling. This preserves the purity and spirit of the grapes, to make, as Rupert calls, his "wines of character". The character stems from a mix of complex soils and the mix of warm sun and cool nights. This is 20ha of magical land, ruled by bio-equality, which reveals itself in every bottle the Summerers offer. Why would they ever break this magnetic bond?
Grüner Veltliner Langelois 2009

100% grüner veltliner from multiple vineyard sources on the estate. Mix of gneiss, sand, loam, mica and clay soils. Whole cluster pressed in gentle preparation for natural yeast to activate. Temperature controlled steel tanks from beginning to end, with CO2 added at bottling.