Weissburgunder, Judith Beck 2021

Country: Austria

Region: Burgenland

Grape: Weissburgunder

Volume: 75cl

ABV: 11%

Vintage: 2021

Suitable for Vegans: Yes

Food pairing: It’s perfect for a summer’s day with or without food – match it with charcuterie, goat’s cheese salads, shellfish and even light curries.

The Beck winery is a family estate in Gols, in northern Burgenland near lake Neusiedl. Traditionally, there were small mixed farms in the area, but they always grew vines as part of the agricultural diversity. In 1975 Matthias Beck took over from his father and started to focus on wine only, they started with 5 ha. Today the Beck estate has 15 ha of vines. In 2001 Judith took over responsibility for the cellar after gaining experience in France, Italy and Chile. In 2007 the conversion to biodynamic viticulture was started.

If someone like Judith Beck lives not just according to a postal address, but actually amidst the vines, then you can be sure that she’s developed a deep relationship to her own vineyards. The most beautiful of these vines – she prefers the traditional varieties Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent, Weissburgunder and Chardonnay – lie on the slopes and the hills of the Wagram. This is the name of the area of slopes which are, for the most part, sun-exposed and rise from the lowlands east of the Neusiedler See to the so-called Parndorfer Platte. The soils here are extremely diverse. In fact, a single vineyard alone can comprise humus, gravel, loam, limestone and minerals – the ideal basis for complex, multi-faceted wines that reflect their origin. Naturalness and identity are the features that Judith wants to see and to show in her wines. This approach is also a reason that she has been inspired by the ideas of Rudolf Steiner since 2007. That means she uses holistic methods in her biologically-managed vineyards in order to keep the vines naturally healthy. This includes greening, care for biodiversity, fertilizing with biological humus. Working by hand, consideration of the moon cycles and more. Consequently, Judith does not add cultured yeasts, but instead “risks” allowing her wines to ferment spontaneously – in other words, truly naturally.

This wine is a great example of natural winemaking and the use of skin contact in the winemaking process . The fruit in this fantastic Judith Beck Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) is wonderful. It’s a biodynamic, vegan white wine, with a touch of skin contact, from Burgenland in Austria.

As you would expect from Judith the wine has lovely fruit and refreshing aromas of citrus, pears and white peaches This is backed up with savoury notes thanks to its skin contact character.