A vintage may appear to be defined by harvest, but in reality, it begins much earlier, in the daily decisions made in the vineyard.
There is only one chance each year - and it starts in winter.
Pruning determines balance. Cane or spur, depending on the variety. Each vine is considered individually, not as part of a system, but as a living decision. That choice alone shapes yield, ripeness, and ultimately the texture and energy in the glass.
As the season unfolds, each step refines that trajectory.
Shoot thinning to regulate yield. Soil work to support vine health. Leaf plucking, never by rule, always by response. In warmer seasons, we protect the fruit with shade. In cooler conditions, we open the canopy to capture light and encourage ripening.
And then there are moments beyond influence.
Flowering is one of them. In spring 2025, conditions appeared near perfect, warm, calm, full of promise. Yet our Austrian varieties showed poor fruit set, for reasons we could not fully explain. Hans, with a quiet smile, called it an “Austrian conspiracy”.
By late January, the season begins to reveal itself. Decisions on green harvesting follow, never easy, always reducing yield, but essential for concentration and balance. That year, Viognier, Marsanne, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Montepulciano were thinned decisively. In hindsight, it defined their precision.
The early warmth gave way to a more unsettled pattern, cooler days, occasional rain. In an organic vineyard, this is where vigilance matters. Powdery mildew is always present. Sprays are kept to a minimum, but timing is everything.
Netting follows, carefully timed between vineyard work and the arrival of birds.
And then harvest, not a date, but a sequence of moments. With more than 25 varieties, each parcel is observed on its own terms. Sugar, acidity, pH, flavour development, tannin texture, even the colour and release of the pips, all must align.
Some varieties come early. Others take their time.
At one point, a cyclone warning loomed. Yet there was no urgency. The work in the vineyard had been done, low yields, open canopies, healthy soils. The vineyard was resilient. Even heavy rain would pass without harm. And it did. The sun returned, and each variety was harvested in its moment, in perfect condition.
From there, the same philosophy continues in the cellar.
Each parcel is handled individually. Whole bunch, whole berry, or gently crushed. Cold maceration, or not. Fermentation begins naturally, guided by temperature and time. Extraction is adjusted, then stopped at precisely the right moment. Barrels are chosen with intent, the same ones that have carried that variety before, sometimes new, always considered.
Each step carries consequence.
And then, once fermentation is complete, a certain stillness returns.
Vintage 2026 is one Hans looks at with quiet satisfaction. Not because everything was controlled, but because, at each stage, the right decisions were made when it mattered.
What you taste in the glass is not just a season. It is the accumulation of decisions, taken quietly, often months before harvest, when the outcome is still uncertain.
And perhaps that is the truth of a vintage.
You guide it. You respond to it.
But in the end, it reflects decisions already taken, long before the fruit reaches the winery.
It is what makes each vintage distinct and why no two ever tell the same story.