Weingut Tauss
– Styria, Austria
Roland Tauss considers himself not so much a winemaker but rather a wine grower: a ‘gardener of the vineyard’. Roland’s 6 hectares of vineyards are well-positioned on outstanding Opok soil formed from ancient marine deposits. This makes for perfect ripening conditions, with mineral-rich soil and plenty of warmth and moisture to support the vines.
Farming has been done biodynamically since 2005 when Tauss realized conventional methods interfere too heavily and take the liveliness out of the fermented grape juice. With the help of fellow producers like Werlitsch, Strohmeier, Muster, and Tscheppe, he founded the group Schmecke das Leben. The website reads: “Five wine individualists that live their dream. Their collective path of researching holistic nature understanding leads them to a new lifestyle and new style of wine.” “Living wines with a soul that set an impulse to speak to the heart and to feel and enjoy the life in wine”.
Since the wines of all five winemakers are highly sought after, it’s clear these dreamers know their craft.
Weingut Tauss’ wines are properly aged, so they’re perfectly drinkable right after release, though you’ll have no trouble aging these wines either since they have a fantastic shelf life. Lengthy aging helps to show a lot of fruit and soft sweetness, along with round, harmonious tannins.
A good wine of his to pair with an X-mass dinner is his orange Roter Traminer – a rare grape variety executed in an elegant yet powerful way: polite zesty, and fruity aromatics and freshness combined with complexity.
Cultivation: 6 ha
Production: 15,000 – 20,000 bottles/year
Varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Weissburgunder, Welschriesling, Rotertraminer, Grauburgunder, Blaufränkisch, plus some Cabernet-Sauvignon, and Merlot
Approach: Holistic/Biodynamic
Certifications: Demeter
Sulfites: <10 mg total
