Winery

Gut Oggau

Gut Oggau is now one of the international superstars of the natural wine scene. The wines with the distinctive faces on the labels appear in many restaurants and wine bars around the world.

"It's a luxury not to need to follow the market. We want to make wine that tastes like Burgenland, the climate and the soils. We are not missionaries, but the health of the soil and sustainability should actually be on every farmer's mind."

– Stephanie Tscheppe-Eselböck

Colour

Type

Wine Style

Price

Aromatic

Grape

Character

Sold out

Atanasius 2020

Vegetative

fruity

reductive, juicy

28,64 €

38,19 €/L

Gut Oggau's philosophy is not about grape varieties, but about the "wine family".

Actually, Stephanie and Eduard process grape varieties typical for Burgenland such as Welschriesling, Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer as well as Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt. But these are not that important for the two winemakers, at least in communication - they are not even on the label.

Instead, the Oggau estate has built up its range as a wine family: Each wine shows a drawn face on the label, which is supposed to reflect the character of the wine. They divide their wine family into three age groups:

From the younger vineyards on the plain spring the grandchildren, who present themselves as fresh, energetic and also cheeky wines in the glass - such as "Theodora", who is the daughter of "Wiltrude".

The parents' generation includes "Emmeram" and "Timotheus", their wines come from sun-flooded slopes with more power, corners and edges as far as more intensity. More pronounced personalities.

The two family heads, i.e. the grandparents "Mechthild" and "Bertholdi", come from single vineyards that are gently pressed with a restored 200-year-old tree press. Wines that conjure up an impressive independence, complexity and energy.

By the way: the faces drawn on the bottles are fictitious persons and yet they seem as if you had met them before, in the most beautiful way! As soon as it is poured out, it beguiles the nose with a typical aroma of peaches, apples, citrus fruits and flowers. It presents itself just as animatingly to the palate.

Full risk and always against the stream

It was a courageous undertaking when Stephanie and Eduard Tscheppe-Eselböck acquired Gut Oggau - a 17th century vineyard - in 2007. And they did so with the vision of producing natural wines, which was the opposite of practically all other regional wineries in Burgenland. Perhaps this is precisely why a little magic was created that was to have a decisive influence on the natural wine scene.

The not easy role as a natural wine producer

Under the new owners, the Oggau estate thus started directly into biodynamic cultivation and also with the idea of making the best possible use of the potential of the very old vines acquired. Demeter certification followed later.

But the beginning was difficult: nobody in Austria was interested in the wines, they tell us themselves. The labels were seen as a "disaster", especially because apart from the exotic look, the grape varieties were not even listed.

And yet Stephanie and Eduard were convinced that there must be like-minded "crazies" out there who were just as convinced of the quality as they were. So they went out into the world and after years of international door-to-door canvassing came the big breakthrough, as Gut Oggau wines are now represented in 66 countries around the world.

Interview with Gut Oggau

Hi Eduard, hey Stefanie!

What would you say your winery and your wines stand for?

Gut Oggau:For life, the pure and unvarnished expression of our soils, our vineyards, our climate and our biodynamic philosophy.

What makes a great wine for you? Or what is important to you personally in a wine?

Gut Oggau:Authenticity.

Does climate change have an influence on your viticulture and does this also change things in your work?

Gut Oggau:Yes, of course, many things are changing, challenges but also opportunities, what was good a few years ago does not have to be today. We are challenged more than ever to sensitively support and strengthen the soils, the plants and the animals.

What made you go in the direction of organic/biodynamic/natural wine?

Gut Oggau:For us, there has never been any other way.

Are there any learnings or insights regarding winemaking or the wine business that you wish you had had at the beginning of your career?

Gut Oggau:We are still learning every day.