Christian Tschida 'Himmel Auf Erden II Maischevergoren' 2022

‘Maische Vergoren’ translates to ‘on the skins’ - and this is Tschida’s only skin contact white wine. This wine mainly contains the Scheurebe grape, which Christian harvests from 60 year old vines. Smaller amounts of Weissburgunder and Muskat Ottonel are also added. The grapes come from gravelly schist soils east of Lake Neusiedlersee. Christian keeps the grapes on their skins for 6 months, bringing out more aromatic and herbal qualities. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration.

Winemaker’s note: “The fascination of a historic method transferred into future.
Old vineyards planted with Yellow Muscat, Golden Muscat and Lemon Muscat: All
of them varietals that boast unique and concentrated flavor in their skins — a
natural invitation to be macerated. Over the years we have elaborated several
methods of maceration for a gentle extraction, just like treating a fragile leaf of
green tea. 

Purity is indeed the cornerstone of Christian’s efforts. And probably also one of the reasons for his now cultish status, which is well-deserved for his hard work and visionary approach against the odds. (When Christian took the winery over in 2003, he recalls having “below zero customers”, alienating his father’s previous clients with his then-unheard-of vision of fruit-driven reds with low alcohol.) Whether he likes it or not (being too starstruck in his presence is rather advised-against), Christian now firmly sits in the natural wine pantheon along with people like his “Brutal” fellows and best mates Tom Lubbe of Matassa or Joan Ramon Escoda. Given he’s only in his early forties, enjoys this enormous vineyard and cellar potential, and has all the experience and dedication to go the extra mile, this status is likely to be re-confirmed with every new vintage and every new savvily minimalist Christian Tschida bottle full of intriguing twists and turns.