"Wine is poetry in bottles". There is no better way to describe the wines of this small but fine family winery. Most of the estate is located in Schützen am Gebirge, but a significant portion of the vineyards are in the neighbouring village of Oggau. There are different soil compositions at every point of the compass, so it is easy to explain why the best sites were chosen for the specific varieties. However, to produce the finest white and red wines over many years requires a great deal of intuition. Georg Prieler, the young oenologist with experience from abroad, has this talent. He always makes his decisions intuitively, which is fortunate because his wines are truly memorable. Soil and terroir also play a key role for the Prielers: the Seeberg and Sinner vineyards, which face Lake Neusiedl and produce the grapes for the great white wines, have limestone soils. Ungerbergen has sandy loam with gravel and is ideal for late-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Goldberg, the undisputed best site of the estate, offers barren mica slate and is predestined for Blaufränkisch, the most traditional and important variety.
The Prieler family always orientates itself on the characteristics of the respective site when vinifying the wines. The Pinot Blanc Seeberg, for example, is fermented exclusively in stainless steel tanks after an extensive maceration period to preserve its finesse and freshness. Blaufränkisch Johanneshöhe, on the other hand, is 'nurtured' in large wooden barrels. And the very famous Blaufränkisch Goldberg acquires its incredible suppleness during a period of up to 26 months in 500-litre barrels. The latter Blaufränkisch Goldberg is a wine of superlatives, which has already won the "Falstaff Reserve Trophy" twice - in 2005 and 2008. The Prielers have also won the Falstaff Pinot Trophy with their white wines: two trophies for the Pinot Blanc Seeberg 2004 and the exceptionally mature Chardonnay Seeberg 2001. No wonder the family was honoured as "Winemaker of the Year" in 2009.
