The Weingut Salzl Seewinkelhof is located in the middle of the picturesque lakes and plains of the Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel National Park, in the easternmost province of Austria, Burgenland, in Illmitz to be precise, the lowest-lying town in Austria.
A spot of land that is particularly blessed for viticulture: a high number of sunny days a year, dry, hot summers and cold winters, the influence of the Pannonian lowlands and Lake Neusiedl and the many small salt lakes ensure a special terroir from which wines come out with character.
The Salzl family winery, which is run by three generations, has dedicated itself to this task: Heribert, Josef and Christoph.
First successes, softness and warmth
It builds on the success that was first announced in the 1980s with the reorientation of production to high-quality red wines and manifested itself with the 2000 vintage: the first appearance at an award brought a placement among the top fifty red wines in Austria.
Since then, the wines from Weingut Salzl have been known and loved for their softness and warmth - a reflection of the typical characteristics of the Seewinkel.
And it is these typical characteristics of Salzl wines that regularly bring them extremely positive ratings and placements in wine guides and awards - such as the Syrah Reserve 2014, the Cuvée Pannoterra 2013 or the Cabernet Franc Premium 2013.
Quality through selection
Since quality has a higher priority in the company philosophy, the principle of selection is strictly followed in the vineyards. The wheat is already separated from the chaff in the vineyard: “Less is more. We believe in that and already carry out grape selection and yield reduction in the vineyard in order to increase the quality of the grapes.”
Only healthy, fully ripe grapes are processed into wines, which find the ideal conditions for ripening in the microclimate of the Sandriegel, Römerstein, Lüss and Martenhof vineyards with their different soil compositions.
Careful handling of land, vines and vines as well as a love of the landscape and the vineyards are a matter of course for the Salzl family and essential for wine with a unique character.
steel and oak
After the harvest, the wines are vinified in the winery in the middle of the Illmitz vineyards, with the classic wines being fermented in stainless steel tanks. The barrique wines are aged in small oak barrels, in which the wine is given twelve to thirty-six months to mature, depending on the vintage and development.
The result of the combination of passion, well-established tradition, experience and state-of-the-art technology are wines with a unique character and excellent quality - simply Salzl wines.
Images © Salzl Seewinkelhof