Responsibility in Winemaking: Georg Schmelzer’s PIWI Pioneer
Winemaking comes with a responsibility—both for vintners and consumers (and their representatives in the halls of power). The fact that Europe’s vineyards, which cover only 5% of the continent’s agricultural land, account for 60% (or 90,000,000 kilos) of its fungicide use is cause for reflection. Even organic farming, relying solely on copper and sulfur-based treatments, highlights the urgent need for alternative solutions.
For several decades, such alternatives have existed in the form of fungus-resistant hybrid grape varieties, known as PIWIs. These varieties are slowly gaining traction in both awareness and vineyards. Georg Schmelzer was one of the first in Austria to embrace a PIWI variety when he planted Roesler in the mid-2000s.
Roesler, a cross between Zweigelt and the French hybrid Seyve Villard 18-402, can easily produce overly dark, highly alcoholic, and tannic wines devoid of finesse if handled poorly. Yet, Schmelzer demonstrates that Roesler can take a different path by providing the biodiversity and vitality its PIWI origins suggest.
His Roesler is spontaneously fermented, aged for several years in used oak barrels, and bottled unfiltered and unsulfured.
Style
Juicy, dense, and dynamic. Dark and powerful, yet accessible and inviting due to its gentle, non-interventionist vinification. Aromas of ripe fruit lead into a textured palate with a robust body. The finish lingers with dark spice and pepper notes.
Technical Sheet
- Grape Variety: Roesler
- Vineyard: Fürstliches Prädium – gravel soils with sand content
- Harvest: Handpicked
- Fermentation: Spontaneous | wild yeasts
- Aging: In used oak barrels
- Filtration: None
- SO₂: Unsulfured
- Alcohol Content: 13.5% vol.
- Closure: Natural cork
- Serving Temperature: 16–18°C
- Optimal Drinking Window: From now until 2028
- Content and Price per Liter: 0.75 l (€32.37/l)
All winemakers listed at Vinonudo cultivate their vineyards using compost, organic fertilizers, and natural preparations, avoiding herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers.
