Weingut Ziniel

Andreas and Elisabeth Ziniel work at the lowest point in Austria, on the Hungarian border. Their vineyards are surrounded by the shallow salt lakes of the Seewinkel (the Zicksee chief among them), and it is to these that Andreas attributes the distinct salinity that marks all his wines. The soils are calcareous and saline and include limestone gravel and sandy loess.

The winemaking follows one method: hand harvest, cooling the grapes to 10°C and treading them gently by foot for a short skin maceration, followed by spontaneous fermentation in ceramic vessels and in large oak casks of 600 liters and up. After about ten months the wine from all the vessels is blended and clarified by gravity, a natural and patient alternative to mechanical filtration. "It's warm here," says Andreas, "so what matters is freshness, lively acidity and an elegant, refined style."