New Year, New Wines

Bright & Lush

The Altenburger family has farmed land in and around Jois since the 16th century. Their vineyards are only half an hour from Vienna, but seemingly in another cosmos altogether.

Grown on calcareous loam, the The Chardonnay vom Kalk is the counterpart to Blaufränkisch vom Kalk – which is Altenburger's most famous wine. Markus lets the vines do their work in the vineyards and the wine do its thing at the winery. The result is therefore honest: natural wines that translate the terroir and the cool climate aspect through and through. In a visit to the winery in May, 2022, Markus confirmed that 2021 had been an exceptional year for his white wines.

For this wine, half of the fruit gets pressed directly, while the other half macerates on the skins for two days. This skin contact maceration adds a lot of texture and character to the wine. 50% of the juice ferments in concrete eggs, and 50% in big oak casks.

Pale gold colour, with a stony, chalky nose and aromas of fresh peaches. On the palate, fine aromas of exotic fruits such as tangerine and meyer lemon bloom, accompanied by a salty minerality. It has a dense structure coming from the ageing in concrete and big wooden barrels, with fresh acidity. Long finish.

Enjoy this Chardonnay with with fresh fish or creamy lemony pasta.

Spiced & Juicy

Elios was born from the passion of two young Sicilian friends, they joined together to develop their families’ farms and to bring them to their full potential after finishing their university studies. Nicola and Guido pride themselves on making minimum intervention, low sulfite wines with native Sicilian, organic grapes grown between Alcamo, Camporeale and Monreale; areas all located in the north-west part of Sicily. The wine making focuses on respect for the varietal, and aims to deliver an easy drinking, approachable style.

This red wine is made with Nero d'Avola grapes, one Siciliy's most popular grapes, and aged for 8 months in chestnut barrels. Elios' Modus Bibendi Rosso is unique in style: it's a lighter and more aromatic version of the grape. On the nose, it smells of fresh red fruit with hints of almonds and cloves. On the palate, it has a great acidity and smooth and soft tannins.

Pair this Nero d'Avola with tomato-based dishes such as pizza and pasta.

Floral & Tannic

Elios was born from the passion of two young Sicilian friends, they joined together to develop their families’ farms and to bring them to their full potential after finishing their university studies. Nicola and Guide pride themselves on making minimum intervention, low sulfite wines with native Sicilian, organic grapes grown between Alcamo, Camporeale and Monreale; areas all located in the north-west part of Sicily. The wine making focuses on respect for the varietal, and aims to deliver an easy drinking, approachable style.

This wine is a blend of Catarratto grown in the area of Monreale, and Grillo and Zibibbo from Alcamo. The Catarratto adds acidity to the blend, the Grillo adds structure and the Zibibbo adds the aromas. All the grapes macerate for 20 days on the skins and aged for 6 months over the lees. This bright happy orange wine has notes of zingy apricot, orange blossoms, rose petals and seville orange marmalade on the nose. On the palate it is well-structured, with a light tannic grip. The good level of acidity gives the wine a special freshness.

Pair this orange wine with boiled artichokes with anchovy-and-garlic butter. Oven baked salmon with capers and hard cheeses boards are also excellent pairings.