Josephine 2021

Gut Oggau, nestled in the quaint town of Oggau in Burgenland, Austria, is the brainchild of Eduard and Stephanie Tscheppe, established in 2007. Eduard, having previously made conventional wine with his father in Styria, joined forces with Stephanie, whose family ran the Michelin-starred restaurant, Taubenkobel. Together, they embarked on the meticulous restoration of a 17th-century winery that had been dormant for two decades, even preserving its ancient 200-year-old screw press.

The vineyard's two-decade hiatus from cultivation was serendipitous, as it allowed all traces of pesticides and chemicals to dissipate. This enabled them to immediately adopt biodynamic practices, leading to their full Demeter certification.

Delving into their winemaking journey, they discovered that each wine exuded a distinctive personality. Inspired by this, they conceptualized a unique labeling system, crafting a family of wines. Every wine is named after a family member, and the talented artist Jung von Matt designs a face for each label.

The younger generation, Atanasius, Theodora, and Winifred, represent wines that are lively, bold, and vibrant. The middle generation, Joschuari, Emmeram, Timotheus, and Josephine, hailing from vineyards with ample sun exposure, produce wines with more depth and intensity. Lastly, the grandparents, Mechtild and Bertholdi, sourced from two single vineyards with older vines, offer the most traditional wines in their collection.

Although most of their vineyards are field blends, making it challenging to pinpoint grape varieties, Gut Oggau primarily works with six main grapes: Blaufrankish, Zweigelt, Grüner Veltliner, Welchriesling, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), and Gewurtzraminer.