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Buy Pittnauer Wine
€22,10
Best Friend (Dogma) 2024
Pittnauer
Wild Strawberries, Grapefruit, Pomegranate
€29,47 per litre
Inheriting an estate at eighteen, in the worst year Austrian wine ever had
In 1985 Austrian wine fell apart. Producers had been caught adding diethylene glycol to sweeten wine, exports collapsed, and decades of trust went in a matter of weeks. Gerhard Pittnauer was eighteen, had just inherited 3.8 hectares at Gols, and took the obvious lesson from it.
He farmed the way his father had shown him, hand harvest, spontaneous fermentation, large old wood, and then kept pushing further in the same direction until the vineyard was doing the work and the cellar was mostly staying out of the way. The full conversion to holistic farming started in 2006. In 2007 he helped found the respekt group, an association of low-intervention Austrian growers that also takes in Claus Preisinger, Judith Beck, Gut Oggau and Christian Tschida.
The 3.8 hectares of 1985 are 27 today. Gerhard and Brigitte have spent forty years quietly making the point that the careful way and the delicious way are the same way.
Where to start with Pittnauer
€22,10
Best Friend (Dogma) 2024
Pittnauer
Wild Strawberries, Grapefruit, Pomegranate
€29,47 per litre
R&B, Blonde by Nature and the Pitt Nats
Twenty-seven hectares, no temperature control, and decisions made by tasting
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More Info & WinesFAQ about Pittnauer
Where is Pittnauer based?
Gols, on the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, Austria. The same village as Judith Beck and Claus Preisinger, and close to Gut Oggau and Meinklang. They farm 27 hectares.
What is R&B?
Pittnauer's red and white blend, and the name is the point: St. Laurent blended with Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc. Bright, juicy and one of the most popular Austrian bottles we sell.
What is Blonde by Nature?
The skin contact white. Grüner Veltliner, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Riesling with eight to fourteen days on skins, fermented across old oak and clay amphora. Textured and structured but still fruity, which makes it a good first orange wine.
What is Pannobile?
A growers' association founded in Gols in 1994 to set a quality standard for the village. Pittnauer have been members since 1998, alongside Judith Beck, Gut Oggau and Meinklang.
Do Pittnauer wines contain sulphites?
Very little, and on several wines none at all. Gerhard's own rule is to add nothing beyond perhaps a small amount of sulphur. Small amounts of sulphites occur naturally in all wine as a by-product of fermentation, so no wine is ever truly sulphite-free.
Which Pittnauer wine should I start with?
R&B if you want to understand why people like them, Perfect Day if you want a white for a Tuesday, Blonde by Nature if you are curious about skin contact. The Pitt Nats are the party option.
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