Grüss euch, once again from Krems, Austria.

Before the year wraps up I thought I would give you a little update on the latest from Kapitel Zwei Wine with newsletter deux. But first, a quick thank you to all my new subscribers and to the 70% of you who read the first newsletter —thanks to data analytics I know the naughty 30% who didn’t : )

Back to School

My academic adventure at IMC Krems University continues. As I write this I am finishing up my exams with two more tests in January. I learn little nuggets in each class, which I am applying to my vineyard. For example in International Wine Law, I learned about all of the EU mandated standards required for the wine label and in Accounting, I learned how to avoid 20% tax when buying goods from other EU countries. But my experience this past fall wasn’t only academic.

In October and November I had the pleasure of working the grape harvest with a talented winemaker in Stein an der Donau named Annika Hoffman. She is the head winemaker at Weingut Förthof. Her first vintage will be coming out in 2022 and based on a few early Riesling and Grüner Veltliner tastings it’s going to be incredible.

I’m not going to lie, it was hard work starting at 7AM where we would pick grapes until sunset (the photo below is sunrise). After the harvest we crushed the grapes into a cylindric press (see photo below). Inside the press is a balloon, which precisely and gently crushes the grapes under the full control of the winemaker, unlike the more traditional methods such as a wooden press or your feet. The wine must is then collected and funneled into steel tanks where it will ferment for several months before being bottled. Annika has been generous with her time and I’ve done several tastings and it’s amazing to taste how much the must changes from day to day. You would be rather surprised how sweet wine is before you buy it at the shops.

Progress at Kapitel Zwei Wine

The big headline news is that the contract was finally signed with the previous owner of the vineyard, which is now officially owned by Kapitel Zwei Wine. The local agricultural agency in Krems has been incredibly helpful and also approved my status as a farmer, which is pretty cool. As a farmer I can sell my harvest, get special health insurance and access to agricultural land. Kapitel Zwei Wine is also registered as a business.

In addition, I had my soil tested (see chart below). One of the things I’ve learned is that winemakers can mix and match grape vines with so-called rootstocks. Without going into all of the history, this is a technique developed many decades ago to address an insect that nearly killed all of the vines in France.

Today, in addition to being insect resistant the rootstocks are also adapted to certain grape varietals, climates and soils. For example, my soil is a little alkaline, so I can use rootstocks which are adapted accordingly. The soil also tested way high in magnesium and a bit low in “humus”, which is not the chickpea dip, but the German word for organic matter in the soil. To improve the humus I am turning to some biodynamic processes, which have been recommended to me by a brilliant wine vineyardist at Chateau de Pommard in France. I’ll share all the filthy details in the spring, but it involves burying cow horns filled with manure — who wants to be a farmer with me?

One More Thing…

I also have an initial design for my wine labels. Working with the agency Rosebud I wanted something clean, to represent that the wine is also “clean”, i.e. organic, but also playful. While these are still being adapted they will eventually be printed using a silkscreen process on heavy stock recycled paper. Let me know what you think.

I’m just waiting for the final confirmation from the nursery in France before I place the order for the varietals, which include Roussane and Chenin Blanc and one more. I’ve been told no one is growing these in Austria, so keep your fingers crossed.

Thanks again for joining me on this journey and if you have any questions or happen to be in Krems drop me am email.

Happy Holidays and Guten Rutsch.