2023 Weissburgunder Der Vollmondwein

While Rainer Christ sees “many strengths” in the 2023 vintage, he noted that the only real negative aspect of the year is 30% less yield than his long-term average. This is down to a number of factors beginning with about 10% less fruit set with imperfect pollination during flowering in June, leading to the same amount of bunches but with fewer berries. “But we had a very stable, warm summer,” he said, “so the berries were rather small, and in combination, that came to about 30% less fruit. The joy was that one berry was more beautiful than the other in a tiny Micky Mouse harvest.” The hailstorm in August “was a near-miss; it only strafed the weather side lightly – and everyone was very nervous; thank heavens the weather was so stable that the affected berries dried out and there was no further damage,” he said, “but we were nervous for about 10-14 days.” His main harvest started in mid-September and finished in mid-October. “We wish to harvest with moderate alcohol levels, with sufficient freshness and elegance. The whole year’s viticulture is not to bake the grapes in the sunshine but to seize the opportunity we have here in the vineyards of Vienna to underscore the elegance and the light-footed nature of the grapes,” he said, and I can attest that he achieved this aim. He also noted a commercial milestone: the 2022 vintage of the Wiener Gemischter Satz, the Viennese field blend, became the most important wine for sale, eclipsing all others. It is safe to say that Christ is one of the foremost winemakers of Vienna today.