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Wine Description
The Story
Alois Kracher’s passion for his vines was irrepressible, learned from his father and passed on with fervor to his son Gerhard. Unsuspecting guests of their winery are often hijacked to the vineyards for vine by vine tours, during which they animatedly point out subtle graduations in the terrain which make all the difference between Kracher vineyards and those of his neighbors. Small, undulating crests in the topography give a great advantage to the vines in this sandy, often water-soaked terrain.
The vitality of Kracher’s vines is obvious; the leaves are richly colored and the stalks thick and strong, resulting in fruit offering complex layers of flavor. The estate today is comprised of about 26 hectares (about 65 acres) tended by Alois Kracher, Sr. and planted with traditional Austrian varieties. Alois Kracher, in his tragically brief lifetime, achieved recognition as one of the greatest dessert wine makers in the world, and his son Gerhard continues to hold high the standard of the winery.
Wine Information
The Seewinkel: National Park and Nature Paradise.
The Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl) sprawls across the eastern part of Austria, along the border to Hungary. On the lake´s eastern shore is the Seewinkel National Park, a natural paradise with rare beauty: thick reeds and, behind them, vast, flat grasslands and sandy pastures. These all are interspersed with several tiny lakes whose reed beds provide homes to nesting rare bird species. It is because of those numerous tiny lakes that the local inhabitants call the area "Seewinkel" (roughly, “lake corner”). Three communities in particular here - Podersdorf, Illmitz and Apetlon - have developed into centers of culture and pleasure: the grasslands feature grazing cattle, sheep and geese, whose meat is in high gastronomic demand. Also seen are the famous wooly Mangalitza pigs, whose original home is right here.
The Climate: Pannonian
Hot, dry Summers, very cold Winters, rain-rich Springs and long, mild and sunny Falls: this is the Pannonian climate that dominates the Seewinkel as well as Hungary to the east. However, the Neusiedlersee has specific weather conditions, a micro-climate that is unique in the world: the vast expanse of water lightens the Summer dryness; and in the Fall, it delivers dense evening fogs that remain until they are dispersed by the morning sun. These conditions are ideal for the development of Botrytis cinerea, a “good” fungus also known as noble rot, which enables the production of none other than noble sweet wines.