– Vintage 2013 –

Springtime brought us plenty of moisture, so the vines were able to develop very well until the middle of May. A period of rain and cold weather gave way to extreme heat during the primary blossoming, so the grapes were able to thrive – rather marvellously, in fact. Only the early-blossoming Blaufränkisch fell prey to an irregular fruit-set, thus demanding an exacting eye and a practised hand during the green harvest to deal appropriately with the variable conditions of the clusters.

Heat in July and August led to an early veraison; this brought thick skins and the development of strong tannins. In Ried Setz we even passed 40°C ­– more than 104°F – according to records kept by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences. Because of this, water-conservation in management of the greencover, cultivation of the soil and work on the leaf-canopies appropriate to the extreme heat were the keys to success.

Weather during the harvest was inconsistent, so it was particularly important to have a well-trained and hard-hitting team at work in the vineyards at the decisive moment. The spiciness of the grapes and their concentrations of sugar, acidity and aroma were truly stunning. White wines as well as reds promise top-class results.

2013 was a vintage for the good growers – this will go down in our history as yet another worthy example of how the Kollwentz Estate gets top results when the year ends in a ‘3’!