Schnabel Silicium consists of Chardonnay (Morillon) and Riesling. Fermentation takes place in open vats with extended maceration (3-5 days). The wine, which is a beautiful golden yellow in colour, brings fresh yellow apples and white peach to the nose, with hints of meadow flowers and herbs. Acids are pleasantly juicy, tannins are perceptible but soft, and the characteristic Sausal minerality is pronounced. On the palate, we taste semi-dry apple segments and dried apricots, meadow herbs and a stony-salty minerality. Despite the fact that it is sulphur-free, the wine is extremely precise and finely balanced. It is also suitable for longer – approx. 10 years ageing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Schnabel farmhouse is located in the village of Gleinst\u00e4tten, and the vineyards are on the nearby Sausal hill.<\/p>\n
Karl grew up in this part of Styria and has worked with the land most of his life. His family were cattle farmers and he still favours the closed-loop farming system, with his small herd of cattle being a fundamental part of the whole. To this day, they still live with Eva and their three sons in the home of Karl’s grandparents and parents. The house still exudes the cheerful energy of its former days as a tavern and dance hall. He and Eva worked on various estates in Burgundy in 1997 and 1998, and before that in agro-finance in Vienna. Since 2003, their 5 hectares of vines located on the famous Sausal hill have been biodynamically certified and since 2007, every wine they produce is free of added sulphites.<\/p>\n
Schnabel estate is part of the Les Vins S.A.I.N.S. group. Karl and Eva are among the most knowledgeable, experienced and enthusiastic advocates of organic farming. Their terroir is very interesting. The Sausal hill rises distinctly from the plains and gently rolling countryside around Gleinst\u00e4tten. Its soil composition is fascinating. It is a former island that was formed around 300 million years ago, so the resulting soil is loose and very rocky. The stones are mostly a primary rock mix of quartz and other silicate rocks. Clay and limestone are almost non-existent, so the wines have a very strong mineral character.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Eva and Karl cultivate three separate plots over the hill and the vineyards are a mix of Riesling, Morillon (Chardonnay), Sauvignon, Zweigelt, Blaufr\u00e4nkisch and Pinot Noir. Visiting the vineyards with Karl is perhaps the most informative and exciting thing for anyone interested in biodynamic agriculture and biodiversity. He is incredibly knowledgeable and simply passionate when it comes to sustainable farming. It can teach you more about using herbs and minerals in the vineyard in one day than ever before. Karl firmly believes that the vineyard will give you most of the “cures” you need to fight diseases among plants. \u00a0Nettle, horsetail and silica (powder) are mostly used. Karl combats mildew with stinging nettles, oidium with horsetail, and usually does not mow the grass so the proper humus cycle can take place. Snakes among the vines ensure that root-feeding pests stay away from the vines.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The wines are produced in a similar way. The perfect grapes are carefully picked in the vineyard, brought to the cellar and crushed. Spontaneous fermentations take place in large vats. Wines are then aged for one year in used barrels. It sounds simple, but working hard all year round in the vineyard doesn’t just mean that the grapes are incredibly balanced. The right pH, sugar levels, phenolic ripeness and minerals, as well as the fact that indigenous yeast cultures are abundant, make for smooth fermentation and, ultimately, exceptional wines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A variety of Chardonnay and Riesling. Fermentation in open vats with extended maceration. The wine has very pleasant acids, soft tannins and a balanced complexity. Dried apricots, ripe apple, meadow herbs and a stony-saline minerality. The wine is sulphur-free. It is also suitable for longer – approx. 10 years archiving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_cat":[507,514,500,499,646,787,786,505],"product_tag":[794,521,790,522,623,792],"class_list":["post-3221","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","product_cat-austria","product_cat-chardonnay-en","product_cat-country","product_cat-natural-wines","product_cat-riesling","product_cat-schnabel-en","product_cat-south-styria","product_cat-winegrower","product_tag-austria","product_tag-chardonnay-en","product_tag-karl-schnabel-en","product_tag-maceration","product_tag-riesling","product_tag-steiermark-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n