Vom Kalk

VOM KALK 2023

Region: Burgenland, Austria

Grape: Chardonnay

Category: White wine

[Producer information]

Markus Altenburger (44 years old) is a very serious, kind, and dedicated researcher.
The family consists of four people: Bernie (wife), Alma (5 years old), and Flora (3 years old).

Jois, Burgenland, Austria (about 40 minutes by car from Vienna), the easternmost part of the Reithavegl DAC.
It is located on the northern shore of Lake Neusiedl and has vineyards in the Reitagebirge hills.
Since his grandfather's time, his family has owned a farm that has been involved in a variety of activities, including grape cultivation, livestock farming, and forestry.
Although wine has been produced in the area for nearly 1,000 years, the wine has not made a big splash.
For this reason, Markus' father, Matthias, said, "I don't want to make wine my only occupation.
"Study at university and explore other possibilities," he advised Marx, encouraging him to continue his education.

He followed that advice, studied economics, and then got a job at a major nearby winery.
Marx worked as the president's right-hand man for four years.
Although his days were fulfilling to a certain extent, he could not find meaning in the industrial wine industry.

"I want to make more natural wine!!"
In 2006, he founded the winery named after himself, Markus Altenburger.

Of the 22 wineries in Jois, he is the only one that makes natural wine! He has become a very rare presence!

<Field environment/microclimate>

Total cultivation area is 17 hectares (divided into approximately 30 plots) and was certified organic in 2017.
Organic farming is being carried out over a wide area, including adjacent plots.
The soil is basically limestone with a lot of slate.
This area was once an ocean several hundred years ago. The lifeforms from that time have become fossils.
This produced a distinctive limestone soil called Leitakalk.
It is this Leitaker that gives his wines their distinctive salty and mineral taste.

Heat stored in Lake Neusiedl, 2 km away, is released at night.
The Leithabirge Hills to the northwest also block the cold winds, resulting in a very warm climate.
Markus also strives to minimise stress to the soil and the vines.
This helps the grapes undergo phenolic maturation (tannin maturation)!
*The tannins in the skins, seeds and stems ripen well, resulting in a supple wine.
When grapes are grown without stress, phenolic maturation proceeds smoothly.

According to Markus, "What's essential to making great wine is phenolic maturity rather than sugar content!"
(Visited in July 2023)

"Growing grapes without stress! Concrete practices"

1) Increase humus (leaf mold) by growing green manure from legumes and leaving a diverse undergrowth.

2) Don't cut the grass: It will die naturally, covering the soil and protecting the surface from heat and dryness.
Patchamathura)) → Marx respects Fukuoka Masanobu!
3) Compost making: Compost is made by leaving cow manure from nearby dairy farms, grape stems, and fermented skins for a year.
They are placed in fields with young trees. (The dairy farmers are thorough in using grass produced by their self-contained farming as feed!)

4) Try to reduce the use of tractors as much as possible and reduce the burden on the environment:
→To prevent the soil from hardening, do not use tractors to carry out pest control for several days after rain.

5) In the last 10 years, Blaufräckisch has been a clone,
Massare selection. We grow the plants that have taken root in the soil on our own.

6) In order to extend the life of the grapes, soft pruning is implemented.
* A pruning method that puts the least amount of stress on trees. Developed by Dr. Simonitt and Dr. Sirki of Italy.

7) To prevent this, a liquid made by boiling chamomile, yarrow, and other plants that grow wild in the fields is used.
→Copper is sometimes used to control Peronospora, but it is not used every year, and efforts are made to reduce the amount as much as possible.
Sulfur is also used. Chamomile grows wild in the fields and attracts bees. The presence of bees is proof that no pesticides are used!