The Kracher name is synonymous with extraordinary botrytised sweet wines with a global cult following. Located in Illmitz in Burgenland, the estate was founded in 1959 by the pioneering Alois Kracher - one of the first to see the area’s potential for sweet wines made with grapes affected by ‘noble rot’. His son, Alois Kracher Jr. (nicknamed ‘Luis’), made the estate world famous in the 1990s, evolving the wine style to focus on finesse and freshness, as well as being a hugely influential figure in raising the profile of fine Austrian wines. Following Luis’s untimely death in 2007, his then 26-year-old son Gerhard inherited the family winery and an enviable legacy. Gerhard has picked up where his father left off, expanding the range to include fine dry wines to sit alongside the world-class sweets. The Kracher vineyards sit in between the tiny village of Illmitz and the shore of Lake Neusiedl, where the microclimate is uniquely suited to the production of Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines.
The Vineyards
Alois Kracher’s vineyards stretch between Illmitz and the shore of Lake Neusiedl. To the untrained eye the area will appear completely plane, but Alois Kracher points at the "mountains": undulations of a height of up to one and a half meters, which have considerable influence on the development of the grapes and, above all, the quality of botrytis. Alois's father, Alois Kracher sen., is in charge of vineyard management. The vineyards are planted at high densities in order to "stress" the vines, thus producing lower quantities at elevated concentrations. Traditional grape varieties include Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Traminer, Weißburgunder and Sämling 88 (Scheurebe).
The Climate
The Climate
The Climate
The pannonic continental climate brings hot dry summers and very cold winters. These extremes are somewhat mitigated by the presence of the large Lake Neusiedl, creating a unique microclimate for viticulture. During cool autumn evenings, evaporation from the numerous lakes creates heavy fog, which covers the area until mid-day when the still strong sunlight burns through. This daily change of weather is the prerequisite for the special Botrytis cinerea, a nearly annual gift of nature, which makes the production of Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines possible.
