Neudegg, October 1, 2026. This year, we were already out picking grapes while it still felt like the height of summer! On 22 August, we brought in our first Zweigelt grapes for our Rosé Wagram. And because 2026 seems to be full of firsts, we’re also turning some of those grapes into a light sparkling rosé – another first for us!

We’d had a feeling harvest would come early. The vines got off to an early start, with early budbreak and flowering, followed by an exceptionally hot, dry summer. Temperatures regularly climbed well above 30°C, with two particularly intense heatwaves in late June and early August. Unsurprisingly, the grapes ripened fast. The lack of rain meant the berries stayed much smaller than usual, but they were packed with flavour, beautifully aromatic and in excellent health when we started picking. Not long after harvest began, we finally got some much-needed rain – the first decent rainfall in weeks. Then came pleasantly warm days with plenty of sunshine. Just what we’d been hoping for! The plan was to keep harvest moving along smoothly, without rushing things, and to pick each parcel at just the right moment.

But nature had other plans. On the evening of 28 August, a hailstorm swept through our little village of Neudegg. Thankfully, the vines and grapes weren’t completely destroyed, but they certainly took a beating. And with damaged berries, there’s no time to lose. Suddenly, getting the grapes safely into the cellar became our number one priority. We had plenty of helping hands in the vineyards, and where needed, we brought in a mechanical harvester to speed things up. Everyone worked flat out to get the grapes in as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, the dry summer had left its mark on yields, just as we’d feared. 2026 is a small vintage – we harvested around a third less than in 2025. Small berries mean less juice, but they also mean more concentrated flavours. And that’s what makes this vintage so exciting! The grapes were bursting with flavour and wonderfully aromatic. Getting the timing right was especially important this year. We wanted to pick early enough to preserve freshness and avoid excessive sugar levels. After all, our aim is always the same: to make elegant, lively wines with moderate alcohol levels that are simply a joy to drink.

Four weeks after we started, we picked our last grapes on 19 September. The harvest is now safely in, and the young wines are taking shape in the cellar. We’re looking forward to seeing how the character of this extraordinary growing season comes through in the finished wines. For now, we’re happy, relieved and, above all, curious to see what this vintage has in store.

So, 2026 in a nutshell? Heat. Drought. Our earliest harvest ever. A hailstorm thrown in for good measure. Tiny berries. Small yields. Big flavours. And plenty to look forward to! One thing’s for sure: working with nature means being ready for just about anything.