The Living Terroir: Where Wine Speaks in Faces

In the heart of Burgenland, Austria, where time whispers through ancient stones, Stephanie and Eduard Tscheppe have not merely revived a winery; they've conjured a living narrative from the earth itself. Gut Oggau is not a vineyard, but a stage where the terroir performs, and the wine, its actors, each with a distinct, palpable persona.

Stephanie and Eduard Tscheppe. Photo from www.gutoggau.com

"It is a love story each step of the way, from the soil we tend, with the grapes we grow. The juice that we ferment and the wine we bottle." Their words, a poetic incantation, resonate through the restored 17th-century estate, a place where neglect, paradoxically, became liberation. After two decades of slumber, the soil, freed from chemical tyranny, awaited a new voice.

The Tscheppes, with their lineage rooted in Michelin-starred gastronomy and traditional winemaking, approached this blank canvas not with a formula, but with a profound reverence for the unknown. They chose biodynamics, a philosophy that perceives the vineyard as a living organism, a delicate ecosystem where each element contributes to the whole. This wasn't about imposing a style; it was about listening, about deciphering the whispers of the land long forgotten. The soil, a mosaic of sand, gravel, limestone, and slate, became their oracle. Each parcel, a distinct character in this grand drama. The youthful exuberance of gravel, the vibrant, crystalline energy of limestone, the composed depth of slate – these are not just geological components, but personalities, bottled.

For Stephaine and Eduard, the vines are not mere plants, but protagonists in a family saga. The "Children" – Atanasius, Theodora, Winifred – burst with youthful audacity, their flavours are bold and uninhibited. The "Parents" – Joschuari, Emmeram, Timotheus, Josephine – embody a mature, sun-drenched power, their wines rich and resonant.

And the "Grandparents" – Mechtild, Bertholdi – from the oldest vines, offer a profound, contemplative depth, their wines imbued with the wisdom of generations.

These aren't just labels; they're portraits of the soul of the wine. Artist Jung von Matt captures the essence of each character, translating the terroir's voice into visages that gaze out from the bottles, inviting us to see beyond the liquid, to perceive the living spirit within.

Gut Oggau Personalities (Wines)

Wines as Characters

Gut Oggau winery defies conventional wine discourse. There are no tasting notes, no technical analyses, only stories and personalities.

"We could feel these personalities in the barrels, so we decided to describe the wines as if they were people." Said Stephanie.

This is not merely a metaphor; it's a fundamental shift in perception, a recognition that wine, at its essence, is a living, breathing entity, a conduit for the land's voice.

Stephanie and Eduard's approach transcends winemaking; it's an act of communion with nature, a dialogue conducted in the language of the soil.

In a world obsessed with control and standardization, Gut Oggau stands as a beacon of radical authenticity, a testament to the power of listening, of surrendering to the inherent wisdom of the earth. Here, wine is not a product, but a living narrative, a family saga told in every bottle, every sip.

Dive into the living narrative of Gut Oggau wines. Explore the faces, get to know the personalities, and experience the terroir's voice: https://www.gutoggau.com/?hiddenoverlay=1

Stephanie and Eduard also have a YouTube channel called Gut Oggau Essays, a series of intimate videos, inviting the world to witness their sacred ritual, to peek behind the curtain and glimpse the magic that unfolds in their hands.