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2nd Horitschoner Rotweinherbst, October 29 & 30, 2011
Last year for the first time the traditional Horitschoner rotweinOpening was continued with the Horitschoner Rotweinherbst. This new event makes it possible for the visitors to get to know Horitschon in autumn, too. After the success of the premiere in 2010, this year we will provide even more wine, entertainment, relaxation and other things worth knowing about our favorite subject - the Blaufränkisch from Horitschon.
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WINO Grand Prix Gala in Warsaw
As one of 20 wine producers from all over the world, Franz Reinhard Weninger has been invited to the WINO Magazine Gala 2011 in Warsaw. Our Spern Steiner Kékfrankos is among the most exciting wines of the world, which the wine magazine choses from 1500 wines available on the Polish market every year.
At the gala in Warsaw there will be gold, silver and bronze medals in 9 categories awarded to those wines.
Awards ceremony, Gala Dinner and Gala Tasting will take place on 8th and 9th November at Forteca, a prime exhibition space located on the outskirts of Warsaw´s Old Town.
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Great success for our Blaufränkisch Hochäcker from Horitschon
While the Blaufränkisch harvest will start within the next few days in Mittelburgenland, `The New York Times` has elected our Hochäcker 2008 the best Blaufränkisch of Austria:
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Harvest start
Last friday, September 2nd, 2011, we started the red wine harvest in Balf with the first, fully ripe Pinot Noir grapes.
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Vine-beehive
Another proof that biodynamic vineyard work is effective. It creates the outset for healthy life and biodiversity - thus last week a bee colony "moved in". Thanks to Gerli and Herbert Triebaumer for helping with the gentle relocation!
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Fiona Beckett, The Guardian, April 2011
So far as reds are concerned, the grape to look out for is kékfrankos, (also known as blaufränkisch and lemberger). A good example is the Weninger Kékfrankos Sopron 2008 (£10.50, Astrum Wine Cellars, £10.99, The Butlers Wine Cellar, Brighton; £12.70, Vinoteca, London; 13% abv), a deliciously fragrant, natural-tasting red that s not unlike a cabernet franc and that you could equally well drink with fish such as seared tuna as with grilled lamb or chicken.
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Vintage 2010
Due to the amount of press reports on the harvest 2010 during the last months we want to share our perspectives with you.
A storm end of May, humid and cold weather during the blossom and hail in August didn´t let us expect anything good for the year 2010. Particularly not for the yield. With only 40 percent of the yield of a normal year, this is the smallest harvest since the beginning of the records of our family. However, we were able to harvest the remaining berries healthy and ripe from the vines and in this way we received a quality that we are very content with.
Therefore it is very important to differentiate between quality and quantity when talking about the 2010 vintage.
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Easter can come!
1500 vines and 7 trees planted (alternation is good). Biodynamic preparations stirred and brought to the vineyards. Barrels in the cellar refilled. Easter can come.
We wish a pleasant holiday.
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Our `by weninger´-family is growing...
Pannónia 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cserszegi fűszeres, Zenit
Rosé 2010 Syrah sold out
Sopron 3.0 Merlot, Syrah, Kékfrankos
Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
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Weninger Shirts
Our popular Weninger shirts are available again in all colors and sizes!
On sale in our wineries in Horitschon and Balf.
Shirt Women, Motif: Ant, black or white, short-sleeved fitted, Sizes S, M, L, € 15,-
Shirts Men, Motiv: Stag beetle, black or white, short-sleeved, Sizes S, M, L, XL, € 15,-
Shirts Children, Motiv: Little Caterpillar, white, short-sleeved, Sizes 1 and 2, € 15,-
all 100% cotton, printed
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Harvest 2010
Some impressions from the harvest at the Spern Steiner vineyard (Kékfrankos). Very good quality, much better than we expected. Thick skins and ripe tannins, low yields. The last sunny days of autumn were very good for our grapes.
The Kékfrankos harvest is finished, now only Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are still waiting to be picked.
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tvino.de
Hendrik Thoma and Zsolt Machat taste our wines, more at tvino.de (in german)
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Our wine in Brussels
Soon Hungary will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and we are happy that our wine will be served there. At a tasting in Budapest our Kékfrankos Spern Steiner 2006 could assert itself. The Spern Steiner will show what the Kékfrankos grape and the Sopron region are able to.
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Team training and company outing in august
August 23rd we started this year´s company outing with a team training of all employees from Balf and Horitschon in the ropes course Lutzmannsburg in Middle Burgenland. We tried the lower rope elements, the "spiderweb" and the pile jump and all felt sensational!
Later we had lunch with the Schürmann family at Eisenberg in South Burgenland. From their vineyard, which we also visited, come the grapes for our Blaufränkisch Saybritz and Welschriesling Saybritz. Finally, we had a great wine tasting at the Wachter-Wiesler winery in Deutsch Schützen.
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In and around the vineyard
Morning the 11th of August, the day in front of our vacation.
Natural green cover.
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In and around the vineyard 2
Have a look at the deer and the wildpigdiggings.
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In and around the vineyard 3
Spraying of selfharvested equisetumtee.
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In and around the vineyard 4
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Open cellar door
We invite you to visit us in our winery in Balf! Our cellar doors will be open on May 8 and 9, 2010 from 9 am to 7 pm.
Our offers:
* Half price on tastings of Blanc de Noir 2008, Kékfrankos Sopron 2007 and Sopron Cuvée 2007
* 10% discount on all wine purchase
You can find more information about the open cellar doors in whole Hungary here: www.nyitottpince.hu
We look forward to your visit!
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Cherry blossom in Horitschon
One of the most beautiful times of the year in Horitschon is the blossom of the cherry trees. Here are some impressions from our gardens.
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Hungary for change
9 Febr 2010 by Jancis Robinson
Weninger, Spern Steiner Kékfrankos 2004 Sopron 17 Drink 2007-10
Kékfrankos = Blaufränkisch. Austrian owned, by Franz Weninger of Mittelburgenland. Round and smooth and slightly dusty. Good acidity - sour cherries? Light tannins. From clay soil. Just over the border from Austria s Burgenland. Very lively and well balanced. Very low yields. Fermented in open vats in both Hungarian and French oak. 13%
₤10 exCellars, UK importer Astrum
In the Wine Report 2009 we are mentioned as the 9th greatest wine producer of eastern and southeastern Europe!
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New year, new challenges and tasks
After Christmas holidays and New Year everyday life continued for us. In the new year we continue the pruning in the vineyard and in the cellar there´s a lot of work waiting, too. Slowly we will prepare the white wines for botteling and we can already reveal that there´ll be a surprise soon!
You can find the dates for the next tastings and wine events in our calendar.
This year there will be all the traditional events like open cellar door, Sopron wine festival and Kékfrankos nights.
We are looking forward to your visit at our winery and at the numerous events!
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Harvest 2009
The harvest is over. And slowly it´s getting quiet in the cellar again. The quality of the grapes was extraordinary. I think that it can be compared best to the 2000 vintage. The quantity was very small, on the one hand due to the climate conditions (low weight of the berries and thick skin), on the other hand the hail in july destroyed the bigger part of our harvest. At the moment Cabernet Sauvignon and Blaufränkisch are still lying on the skins in the tank, in about ten days those last berries will also be pressed. The malolactic fermentation in the cellar has already started and should be finished before Christmas.
On october 5th my son Paul was born, he makes us very happy.
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More new wines
Blanc de Noir 2008:
Behind this name stands a white wine made out of red grapes. By pressing them directly no color and tannins were extracted. Alike champagne, also this wine is mainly made from Pinot Noir. On the palate fresh, creamy and fruity. Well structured wine. Long aftertaste with lots of fruit.
Sopron Cuvée 2007:
With this wine we pay tribute to our region. This easy-drinking but expressive red reveals more about the terroir than the grape varieties from which it is made. You might not be immediately able to pick out the Merlot and Syrah components, but you'll love the fruitiness and spice of this subtle expression of Sopron.
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Now available!
Fehérburgundi 2008: a big success in the last years. With the vintage 2008 we top this - fruity, nice acidity and smooth finish, this is how the new vintage tastes.
Kékfrankos Rosé 2008: After 6 months storage time our Rosé is in the bottle now. Thus we gave him enough time to clear and stabilize on its own. Fresh fruity, slightly tangy, a wonderful summer wine!
Both wines are available from now on at our winery or with our partners.
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The black sheep
Tonight Gloria gave birth to two lambs, we are very happy about it!
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Hibernation
The period of hibernation starts in november and will last approximately until middle of april. In the vineyard in this weeks we begin with the pruning of the grapes. The ripening of the wood is completed short time after the fall of leaves. However during the early winter there are still nutrients transferred from the end of the shoots to the basis; through this the ripening is improved. Not before december, best from middle of january, we start with the pruning of the vines in the vineyard. Until february we will have finished it.
The grapes are pruned manually. The pruning is important to determine the quantity of the harvest and the quality of the grapes in the following year. Therefore for the winemaker it is the first glance into the future, to next year´s harvest, with which he can guide his vine.
Every vine is pruned individually. If a vine has grown a lot in the last year, we leave more buds for the next year, if he grew only a little bit, we prune him more. In this way we try to bring the vine better to its balance.
Yet Goethe wrote that the commercial winegrowing only became possible through the pruning. Only because of this action our cultivated varieties bring fruit regularly. Because this intervention of the human being, the containment of its growth, brings the vine to produce seeds, thus produce grapes.
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After the harvest is before the harvest
The harvest 2008 is almost finished. According to weather trend there was quite a lot to sort out with the early varieties. However, with Kékfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah we are fully satisfied. Very dark, wonderful fruit, good acid- and sugar value suggest a good vintage. The top wines from the best sites will be as good as the 2007 wines.
Harvest facts:
start date: september 3, 2008
end date: october 18, 2008
quantity: 88.857 kilos (corresponds to 3.700 kilos per hectar)
additional harvest helpers: 15
trainees in the cellar: 3 (from Germany and Hungary)
estimated water consumption: 40.000 litres (in exchange everything is clean)
estimated starling attacks: 12 (about 500.000 birds)
fruit flies: innumerable
We already restarted with the first soil works in the vineyard. The soil is kept closed, but under the vines we are earthing up. In this way the first steps for the harvest 2009 are done!
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bon voyage, Sommer Klaus, 2008. nyár
„Yes, the country needs pioneers!“
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Before the harvest
After two turbulent months the weather calmed down at the end of August. Now the grapes are ripening slowly and the cool nights bear very fruity wines.
However, with early varieties we have to assume there will be heavy damage and even cropp loss – with Fehérburgundi and Pinot Noir up to 40 percent loss due to fungal infections caused by heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile Kékfrankos produced small berries like never before this year, a fact we trace back to the long flower period. Even the thickness of the paring is extraordinary. All of this gives us hope of a very good Kékfrankos vintage.
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Animal life
One basic element of a healthy agriculture is according to Rudolf Steiner the animal life. What in former times went without saying in a farming, has nowadays vanished because of the specialisation. Monoculture has found its way into agriculture and the dying of species that comes with it.
My grandparents kept five cows and some hens. Grandmother had a notebook into which she wrote down, which vineyard would get dung and within five years, all gardens were manured. The circle was closed.
Today we look out that animal life can develop again in our winery. Besides our biodiversity program in the vineyard (planting of vegetation and retirement areas as living space for insects, nesting boxes for birds, compost for worms), this year we began to deal with companion animals for the first time. Indeed it is just a small experiment, but it should help us to get to know again the work with animals and to recover the knowledge of our grandparents step by step.
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Wine and cinema under the stars
The first cinema festival under the Sopron fire tower has the theme "time in images". The bilingual open-air-summer-cinema is taking place from 25th of july until 2nd of august 2008 on the unique bastion terrace next to the city wall, in the shadow of Sopron´s landmark, the 1000 year old fire tower. The festival guarantees unforgettable nights in distinctive atmosphere.
Yet on the second festival day, from 8:15 pm on "In Vino Veritas" is on the programme. Alongside with the Hungarian film sketch "The Sopron wine" from 1934, the silent film "When the grapes ripen" from 1919 (with live-piano accompaniment) and "Mondovino" from Jonathan Nossiter (2004), every visitor can enjoy a glass of Weninger wine. And this in terms of the cross-border and bilingual festival from our wineries in Horitschon AND Balf!
Programme, films and tickets: www.feuerturmkino.eu (German) or www.tuztoronymozi.eu (Hungarian)
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Cherry time!
As traditional in Horitschon we also own several cherry gardens, for the most part cropped with the variety "Horitschoner Herzkirsche". But exactly when our cherry trees yield ripe fruits, we also have a lot of work to do in our wine gardens. Thus this year we neither manage to pick all of our cherries ourselves. So we invite you to stop by our cherry gardens and to pick and take with you as many cherries as you want! You can combine it with a visit at our wineries in Balf or Horitschon!
By the way: Just like our wine our cherries grow organically.
Position plan of our cherry gardens
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Awakening of spring
Balf from its most beautiful side. Accompanied by nice spring weather we opened our cellar doors on whitsun weekend.
Thank you for visiting us!
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Our new workplace
We are proud of our new tasting room. Enjoyably pervaded with light and furnished with precious materials, it provides ideal possibilities to experience our wines. Yet entering the room, the architecture explains the path of the wine. We look forward to your visit.
Cellar door sales:
Monday to friday 8 am to 4 pm, saturday 12 am to 4 pm
Tastings by arrangement: +36.99.5310-82
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Harvest Report 2007
You notice the humus layers not only in the vineyard but in the cellar too...
Two years after converting to a biodynamic cultivation method the impacts are unmistakably clear in this year’s harvest. In addition it was a long wine year that began with the first shoots appearing early and good weather all season. There was no early frost to bother the young shoots in the spring, neither in Hungary, nor in nearby central Burgenland. And fortunately there was no hail this year either. By mid-July heat had caused initial signs of drying out, but these were restricted to only a small area and mainly noticeable in the young rows.
Download full version
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Verjus
Verjus is a juice made from under-ripe grapes. Last year’s batch was pressed with care from quality grapes (of the Zweigelt variety) harvested in mid-July. Pasteurized and bottled without filtering, verjus is a biodynamic, natural product. In its acidity it is similar to the juice of citrus fruits, yet it is much milder. In medieval times this “green juice” was a culinary must, and its subtle and complex taste is being rediscovered today. It is especially delicious in salad dressings, fish dishes, meat marinades, refreshing beverages, and exotic cocktails. Wherever citrus fruits or vinegar with a hint of wine don’t harmonize well, verjus offers a sophisticated alternative.
For further information go to http://www.verjus.hu/de
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Weninger T-shirts
Vineyards are crawling with life – the biodynamic method of cultivation used by the Weningers relies on the help of different vineyard inhabitants. Ants, bees, stag beetles, and small caterpillars create good soil conditions and maintain the natural balance and a lively coexistence.
Now, wine lovers can enjoy our vineyard T-shirts: Hooded jackets, brown M,L,XL € 54.00 sold out! T-shirts women’s short-sleeve, fitted, and men’s short-sleeve S,M,L,XL € 15.00 T-shirts children’s, little caterpillar, short-sleeve € 15.00 All models, 100% cotton, printed Our staff and co-workers have been happily wearing their new work clothes. You can purchase yours directly at the estates or place an order per e-mail at balf@weninger.com or horitschon@weninger.com.
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Weninger’s Earthly Treasures
“Von diesen Böden müssen Sie kosten,” it says on our new Blaufränkisch box: “You’ve got to try these soils.” Time and time again our decades of wine-growing experience have shown us that it is above all the microclimate that determines the taste of the wine.
We want to present this range of flavors through wines from our best sites, e.g. Hochäcker and Kirchholz in central Burgenland, Saybritz in southern Burgenland, and Spern Steiner in Balf near Sopron. What is striking about this collection is that all the wines derive from the same grape variety, and yet because they come from different “soils” they differ in a very basic way.
Our Blaufränkisch box is dedicated to people who enjoy tasting and comparing. Our recommendation: open all the bottles at once and taste them blind. We have enclosed tasting notes in the box for reference, a detailed analysis of the soils conducted by experts from the Federal Institute of Geology in Vienna, and descriptions of the impacts of each of the soils on the wine.
Blaufränkisch Trio
Blaufränkisch Kirchholz, Blaufränkisch Hochäcker, Kékfrankos*
Blaufränkisch Sextet
Blaufränkisch Saybritz, Kékfrankos*, Spern Steiner Kékfrankos Selection, Blaufränkisch Hochäcker, Blaufränkisch Reserve, Blaufränkisch Kirchholz
Each box contains only current vintages.
(*Hungarian name for Blaufränkisch)
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The wines of Franz Weninger Jr. in Sopron offer a rare chance to experience authentic Hungarian Kékfrankos and his rich and spicy 2009 from the Spern Steiner vineyard site ought to make the wine world take notice when released.
The single-vineyard 2006 Blaufrankisch bottlings here, including the Spern Steiner from Balf, are impressive – and the Weningers’ bright, vivid material from 2007 looked promising from barrel last summer.
Robert Parker´s Wine Advocate, David Schildknecht
* Greatest wine producers: 9. Weninger winery, Hungary
* Greatest-quality wines: 8. Kékfrankos Spern Steiner 2004, Weninger, Hungary
Wine report 2009, Jancis Robinson, Global reports, Eastern & southeastern Europe
Weninger is the only grower in Austria, Hungary or Slovenia who is considered by wine lovers of two nationalities to be among their top elite wine growers.
David Schildknecht
* Spern Steiner Kékfrankos 2003, $45
2nd best Hungarian Red (together with Solus from Attila Gere), Rating: 87 Wine Enthusiast Magazine
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Merlot-Cabernet 2004: „... An animating red wine with brilliance.“, 2nd position*
Syrah 2004: „It almost sprawls of notes of concentrated dark berries, coffee and grinded pepper ...“, 4th position*
Kékfrankos 2006: „The wine acts fresh, fruity and wild-spicy, shows brilliant notes of black currant and cherry, fine grinding and a gentle finish. Our best buy!“, 5th position
Feinschmecker, Red wine tasting Hungary
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If you would like to receive updates about changes and news at the Weingut Weninger, please send your e-mail address and language preference (English/German/Hungarian) to us at: balf@weninger.com
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