Claus Preisinger

Steps to success

Claus grew up around vineyards, Burgenland is one of the main wine regions in Austria wherever you look you see vines, plus his family owned some plots in the area. After completing an apprenticeship in viticulture and cellar management and after gaining experience by assisting other great producers, he joined the family business. He had lots of ideas in mind and started to experiment with some plots. The success was immediate, awards and great reviews followed and in 2003 he became the youngest producers to be part of the Pannobile group. The hard work and the naturalistic approach paid off, Claus is now one of the most known Austrian natural wine producers in the world.

A strong bond with nature

Claus felt always a strong connection to nature in-fact, he is farming naturally by following the principles of Rudolf Steiner since 2006. Biodynamic farming, homeopathic practices and natural fertilisation keeps the vineyards healthy, the earth rich and the vines strong. Not only, his sensitivity to sulphites made him take an inevitable extra step: low added sulphites, often even no sulphur at all.

“The wine tastes actually better as it reflects the nature.”

From vine to bottle

The producer’s winery is located on the eastern side of the beautiful Lake Neusiedl, in Burgenland. The 19 hectares of vineyards consists of Austrian indegenous grape varieties: Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent, Zweigelt, Grüner Veltliner and Weissburgunder.

During harvest the best looking bunches are selected then the grapes are sorted once more in the cellar before reaching the tanks where they ferment spontaneously with their indigenous yeast. In Preisinger’s cellar you will not only find stainless steel tanks and barrels but also amphoras; the last ones are great vessels to ferment and mature wine, the porous material allows a low and constant contact with oxygen while keeping the temperature naturally steady.

Most of the wines do not have any addition of sulphites but they are all natural, unfiltered and unfined.

The white label represents a genuine product, a product where nothing is added, which combines elegance with simplicity. The wines have a vibrant character, complex flavours, charming fruitiness and a refined taste. They work extremely well with food, not only, they can be sipped on its own thanks to the moderate amount of alcohol.

Have fun with Puszta Libre – a refreshing red, a total glou-glou wine, super low in alcohol and price (our tipp is to drink it chilled), and with Dope – a rosé Pet Nat, fruity, with a cool style, low in tannins and acidity, truly dope!