Claus Preisinger Zweigelt Kieselstein 2022
Regular price €17,00
Unit price per
My first experience with a Claus Preisinger wine was an aha! moment. It was Zweigelt (this wine), at an amazing restaurant in Australia as part of the matching wine degustation (yes, fancy fancy - but not actually, just quality). It grabbed my attention among all of the other fabulous wines for its clarity, and easy sense of place that wasn't where I was. It was foreign and subtly very alluring. It set me on a course that led me to now stock the wines and proclaim their quality to anyone who will listen. Basically, this is the shit.
Kieselstein is the site. Zweigelt is the grape. Claus is the man.
This is probably the best value wine in town. Seriously a steal at the price. Get some.
For such a quiet dude that kinda keeps to himself Claus has made a big splash in the world of natural winemaking. The wines are actually beautifully reflective of the man too, minimalist, focused, somewhat reserved but overwhelmingly charming. Claus's wines were my (and I think many others) gateway drug into not only Austrian natural wines but also Eastern/Central European wines in general.
He has ~19 hectares of vineyards and a really smartly designed modern, and of course, minimalist winery (and quite a good record collection too...). The vineyards are spread on the east side of Lake Neusiedl over three villages. The production is focused on the indigenous grape varieties Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. Merlot is back up for the blends and Pinot Noir is amusement.
"The wines are my image of the nature. I try not to influence artificially in the vineyard and cellar. Also if I could amend the wine, I do not, because I want to show, what nature gives.
Small, native, none globalized, unconsulted (or personal). Emotion, passion, instinct, nose, mouth and to act spontaneously." - Claus Preisinger