Pannobile

Nine winemakers, one village on Lake Neusiedl, and the conviction that you don't need an international style to make great wine. Pannobile emerged from defiance and became one of the most distinctive stories in Austrian winemaking.

Against the current

In the mid-1980s, a revolution swept through Austrian viticulture. Winemakers embraced the latest cellar techniques and fully committed to international grape varieties, convinced that their wines would thus become more valuable. It demonstrated a new self-confidence: finally, Austrian producers dared to compare their vineyards with those of established regions elsewhere in Europe.

This drive for modernization had a downside. From our current perspective, it led to a certain uniformity in taste, and the regional character of the wines diminished in strength. Although there was little to dispute about the commercial success, as the international style sold excellently and proved to be a necessary step in the country's leap in quality.

But not everyone went along. In Gols, a wine village on the northeastern shore of Lake Neusiedl, a group of wine friends regularly gathered with a different idea about what premium wine from their homeland should be. Not modern, not international, but focused on terroir, character, climate, and local grape varieties.

A vision is one thing; realizing it is quite another. In 1994, seven winemakers founded an association to translate their loose ideas into concrete goals, with a platform to monitor them: Paul Achs, Matthias Beck, Hans Gsellmann, Gernot Heinrich, Matthias Leitner, Hans Nittnaus, and Helmuth Renner. Gerhard Pittnauer joined in 1998, Claus Preisinger in 2004.

The name came from Hans Nittnaus and essentially says it all. Pannonia is what the Romans called this region, making origin the first criterion. And nobile stands for noble, rich in content, generous.

The Grapes

A Pannobile reflects the local grape varieties, the soils, and the special microclimate of the best plots between Neusiedl am See and Halbturn. According to wine law, it must be a dry quality wine. It can consist of a single variety, but it is usually a cuvée, and that is no coincidence: the diverse soils and microclimates around Gols produced a variety of grapes, rather than one dominant grape.

Since the 2006 harvest, only three indigenous varieties are eligible for red Pannobile: Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and St. Laurent.

Zweigelt

This early-ripening grape loves light, humus-rich soils and thrives best in higher, cooler locations. On the red gravel soils at the southern edge of the Parndorfer Platte and in the calcareous upper part of the Golser Wagram, it develops floral notes and a pronounced spiciness in addition to its usual fruit, supported by juicy tannins. In a cuvée, Zweigelt primarily brings juiciness and depth.

Blaufränkisch

The late-ripening Blaufränkisch needs the warmest plots of the Wagram to show its full complexity, reflecting the character of those plots like almost no other grape. From slopes with sand, loam, and limestone come juicy, fruity wines with a fine, graceful structure.

You will find the blackcurrant and cherry so characteristic of the variety, but also that typical Blaufränkisch spiciness: herbal and green notes with subtle licorice. Beneath this lies a fresh acidity that keeps the wines lively and emphasizes their elegance, with fine tannins that provide firmness. Together, this yields layered wines with precise fruit, great tension, and a long finish. In the cuvée, Blaufränkisch adds spiciness, structure, elegance, and length.

St. Laurent

Also early-ripening, and also seeking higher, cooler plots such as those on the southern edge of the Parndorfer Platte with their iron-rich gravel soils. With a view of Lake Neusiedl, the grape benefits from the thermals here, resulting in a lively character with blueberry. The clear, crisp aromas carry beautifully on the palate. St. Laurent brings finesse and structure to a cuvée, and its characteristic acidity keeps the whole fresh and lively.

When does a wine become Pannobile?

Each member creates their own blends. These are then presented to the other members in joint blind tastings where criticism and suggestions are not spared. This way, the perfect composition is sought, vintage after vintage. These tastings are the most important quality guarantee in the entire process.

Only when a wine meets the strict requirements for quality and typicality of all nine producers may it be bottled and sold under the name Pannobile.

The remarkable thing is that these self-imposed restrictions do not make the wines uniform. Despite all regional similarities, each Pannobile bears the unmistakable signature of its maker. Per vintage, there are a maximum of nine red wines and three to four white wines.

In their youth, Pannobile wines are distinctly fruity and therefore immediately accessible. With bottle aging, rich, spicy flavors emerge without the fruit disappearing, allowing these wines to last for years.