Gols is a wine village on the northeastern shore of the Neusiedlersee (Seewinkel) region of Austria in the state of Burgenland. It runs along Austria’s extreme eastern border with Hungary, where Lake Neusiedl is at its warmest (Gols is on the eastern side of the lake). This results from the interaction of influences between the Parndorf heath to the north and west and the shallowness of the lake itself which tempers extremes both of summer heat and winter cold.

Gols is one of the villages which sparked the modern revival of Neusiedlersee. Giles MacDonogh (1992, p.86) says the wines from Gols ‘are most likely to be sturdy reds and dry whites’, adding that this ‘largely Protestant town, and ugly, swollen village with drab facades…ranks with Langenlois as Austria’s greatest wine producing commune.’

Terroir: Georg Schmelzer of Schmelzer’s Weingut (link below) describes the Gols terroir as ‘Pannonian climate zone. Hot, dry summers and cold snowless winters, as well as moderate precipitation. An important factor for this special microclimate is the Neusiedler See, the largest steppe lake of Central Europe.’

Soils: Clay and sand. South facing.

Area under Vine: 2,400 hectares (Austria’’s largest wine village).

Wineries

Certified Biodynamic: Claus Preisinger. | Gernot & Heike Heinrich. | Judith Beck. | Pittnauer. | Schmelzer’s Weingut.

Bibliography

Giles MacDonogh, The Wine & Food of Austria (Mitchell Beazley, 1992).