Birgit Braunstein, Purbach:
Austria's Winemaker of the Year 2004 as a representative of Burgenland's viticulture.
The viticulture has an 3000 years long history in the area of Neusiedler See - Hügelland because it was the Celts which brought us the vine then. Nevertheless these always new where to settle and what they should cultivate at the respective place. So they cultivated at the slopes of the "Leithagebirge" near the lake wine. Just here in our region the vine grows especially well. The more than 2000 sunhours per year, the lime-rich slopes of the Leithagebirge and the lake, that acts as heat and moisture regulator, favor the maturity of the grapes. So from year to year we garantee vines of high quality.
My native place, Purbach lies in the heart of this viticulture area. A walk through the place leads up to the historical vine cellars through the old city walls along the protected buildings called "Stadel". The vine cellar place also belongs to the largest and presumably most beautiful in Austria. The individual vine cellars were built from the silicate brick of the "Leithagebirge" and are used partially as "Heurigenkeller".
I myself use the historical vault as a maturity cellar for my especially valuable red vines. The treatment occurs in our 400 years old winery itself that lies in the local center of Purbach. A drive is inviting in the same way through the individual vineyards at the "Leithagebirge". The trained eye sees the difficult ground structures and microclimate of the individual vineyards that allows the cultivating of diverse sorts. the wide looking eye sees the diversified landscape, beginning with the country-comprehensive Neusiedler See followed from the steppe landscape of the reed and the pasture land. After that follows the vineyard area, that leads up until to the top of the "Leithagebirge". Occasually you can see grassland with ledges. Places that intive to the staying and breaks. Those ones are my places of power where I can enjoy enchanting landscape of the world heritage to every season in fullest rich color and come to my rest and relaxation.
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