Heideboden Weiß, Chardonnay-Grauburgunder, Artisan, Burgenland 2019

Artisan, Halbturn, Burgenland

Austria is so much more than grüner veltliner. You will notice this not least when you come to Burgenland. Drinking the regions red wines from zweigelt, blaufränkisch, sankt laurent and merlot will forever change your perception of Austria as a white wine country. We have recently tasted wines from a small and ambitious producer called Artisan Wines, located in the town of Halbturn. The tasting was an excellent illustration of the great variety you find in Burgenland.

Burgenland is in easternmost Austria and borders Styria (Steiermark) in the south and Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) in the north. The region has just over 13,000 hectares and produces white, red and sweet wine. Austria in total has 48,000 ha of vineyards.

Artisan Wines in Halbturn has around five hectares and is run by the couple Franz Schneider and Ulrike Schmid. The village of Halbturn is just east of the lake Neusiedlersee and only 2 kilometres from the Hungarian border. Franz studied winemaking and oenology and then worked at Luciano Sandrone in Barolo and Klein Constantia in South Africa. He also practised at the Geisenheim Research Institute in Germany. In other words, he has seen different parts of the big wine world, always a good idea when you start your own vineyard.

Grapes: Chardonnay and Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)