Gut Oggau Family Tscheppe-Eselböck is a Biodynamic winery located in Oggau am Siedlersee, a town in the Neusiedlersee-Hügelland region of Burgenland, Austria.
Owners: Eduard Tscheppe and his wife Stephanie Tscheppe-Eselböck created the estate in 2007 having bought vineyards which had been abandoned. Eduard had previously worked on his family’s wine estate in Styria. Stephanie’s family owned and operated the renowned Taubenkobel restaurant in nearby Schützen am Gebirge on Lake Neusiedlersee.
Vineyards: 14 hectares (34.6 acres).
Grape varieties: Grüner Veltliner (w). | Welschriesling. | Weissburgunder (w). | Gewurtzraminer (w). | Blaufrankisch (r). | Zweigelt (r).
Certification: 2010 First vintage with full Demeter Biodynamic certification. | 2017 Still Demeter certified.
Winemaking: Fermentation and aging in wooden barrels. Wines are bottled without fining or filtering, and with minimal or zero additions of sulfites.
Wine range: Eduard and Stephanie have anthropomorphised their range, giving each wine a personal name, sex, and position on a family tree, plus “their” face on the label, drawn by the artist Jung von Matt. Each year, the faces are re-drawn to look one year older. The “children” Atanasius, Theodora, and Winifred come from younger vines, or lighter wines. Their ‘parents’, Joschuari, Emmeram, Timotheus, and Josephine, are richer wines from warmer sites. The ‘grandparents’ Mechtild and Bertholdi come from the oldest vines, some of which are field blends. The poor 2016 growing season (spring frost, crop losses, summer hail) meant only three wines bottled, all under the Gut Oggau label.
White wines
Emmeram is Mechtild and Bertholdi’s son, and brother to Joschuari and Timotheus. Burgenland. Gewurztraminer. Limestone and sand. Fermented in used tonneaux. No fining, filtration or added sulfites.
Gut Oggau White: 2016 A blend of Theodora, Timotheus, Emmeram and Mechthild. Grüner Veltliner, Weissburgunder, Gewurtztraminer, Welschriesling. Limestone, slate, gravel and sand.
Mechtild: ‘Female head of the family, married to Bertholdi. Their children are Joschuari, Emmeram and Timotheus.’ From Grüner Veltliner (1950s).
Theodora: ‘Wiltrude’s daughter.’ Burgenland. Grüner Veltliner and Welschriesling. Gravel and limestone. | 2012 37mg/l sulfites (Isabelle Legeron, 2014, p154).
Timotheus: ‘Timotheus is Mechtild and Bertholdi’s son, brother to Joschuari and Emmeram.Timotheus’s second wife is Josephine.’ Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Grüner Veltliner. Mixed soil (limestone, slate, gravelly sand). / 2012 Burgenland, Austria. Partial skin contact, matured in large oak. / 2013 Fermented in used tonneaux. No fining, filtration or added sulfites.
Pink wines
Gut Oggau Rosé: 2016 A blend of Winifred and Josephine. Blaufrankish, Zweigelt, Roesler. Gravel.
Winifred Rosé: ‘Winifred is the daughter from Timotheus’s first marriage, which ended suddenly when his wife disappeared mysteriously over night.’ Burgenland. Bläufrankisch and (Blauer) Zweigelt field blend. Gravel soil. | 2012 31mg/l sulfites (Isabelle Legeron, 2014, p.174). | 2014 No added sulfites.
Red wines
Bertholdi: ‘Bertholdi is the male head of the family. Married to his Mechtild. Their children are Joschuari, Emmeram and Timotheus.’ Blaufränkisch.
ATANASIUS | ‘Wiltrude and Joshuari’s son. Brother to Theodora.’ Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch. Gravel, limestone. | 2013 15 mg/l total sulfites.
Gut Oggau Red: 2016 A blend of Atanasius, Joschuari, and Bertholdi. Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch. Gravel and limestone.
Josephine: ‘Josephine is Timotheus’s second wife and Winifred’s step-mother.’ Blaufränkisch and Roesler. Gravel soil. | 2012 No added sulfites.
Joschuari: ‘Joschuari is Mechtild and Bertholdi’s son and brother of Emmeram and Timotheus. Joschuari is married to Wiltrude.’ Blaufränkisch. Limestone and slate. | 2012 No added sulfites.
Sweet white wines
Wiltrude: ‘Wiltrude is Joschuari’s wife and thus Emmeram and Timotheus’s sister-in-law.’
Contact
Gut Oggau Weingut Tscheppe Elselböck
Hauptstrasse 31
7063 Oggau, Austria
Tel:+43 6642 069298 | Website: www.gutoggau.com
Bibliography
Isabelle Legeron MW, Natural Wine, An introduction to organic and biodynamic wines grown naturally (2014, Cico Books, London & New York), p.154-5, p.174.