{"id":5141,"date":"2019-02-04T23:13:59","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T05:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/?p=5141"},"modified":"2019-02-04T23:14:01","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T05:14:01","slug":"burgenland-weingut-markus-altenburger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/2019\/02\/burgenland-weingut-markus-altenburger\/","title":{"rendered":"Burgenland Winetasting – Winegut Markus Altenburger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Leithaberg exemplified certainly describes a visit at Weingut Markus Altenburger<\/a>. And Markus Altenburger is the perfect person to tell you all about it. The Leithaberg DAC<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> is a subregion of Burgenland and one of the oldest winegrowing zones in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The region\u2019s wines are influenced by the very shallow, warm Lake Neusiedl which aids in ripening, the slopes of the Leitha Mountains that provide a cooling effect for great diurnal range, and the holy grail of soils dominated by slate<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> also called \u201cLeithakalk\u201d and limestone.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This results in wines that are vibrant and concentrated with pronounced mineral characteristics. The soils in the region vary every 100m or so which results in a great deal of variation and many single vineyard wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vineyards in Jois<\/i><\/b><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Leithaberg DAC whites are made from Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Chardonnay, Neuburger, Gr\u00fcner Veltliner or a blend of these varieties. DAC reds are made from Blaufr\u00e4nkisch. Both reds and whites are considered \u201creserve\u201d wines. White wines enter the marketplace no sooner than a year after harvest while the red Blaufr\u00e4nkisch enters after at least two years.
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Weingut Altenburger is located in the village of Jois, northwest of Lake Neusiedl. After spending several years at another winery, Markus returned to his family winery and revamped the entire farming process. He switched to organic farming many years ago and was certified organic in 2017. He eliminated commercial yeasts and now uses only natural yeasts as well as reduced yields to produce more concentrated wines. Aging is done in neutral 500 liter barrels or concrete eggs and very little sulfur is used and only when bottling. These are the ultimate low intervention wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So after learning all about the remarkable terroir from Markus, it was time to taste the wines. And I must say that he was such great fun to taste with. His wit and humor combined with his knowledge and dedication, made for a great tasting experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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