» Freedom to the wine «

Franz Proidl

The Proidl cellar

minimalist, rather than perfectionist

Our soils give the wine grapes great potential and a great deal of distinctive mineral character, which we encourage to develop through late, selective hand-harvesting and cool, slow fermentation.

Extended spontaneous fermentation, moving the wines by force of gravity, selective batonage (stirring of the lees) and long intervals of maturation sur lie lie at the heart of our artisanal work, reinforced by consistent experience. We have dispensed with any unnecessary additives, any frequent agitation, all pumps and any hysterical filtration procedures.

The most important treatments in our processing of the wines: patience, tasting & observation. 

 

 

Experimentation and permanent curiosity flow like blood through our veins

We know no fear of something new. This is how ‘crazy’ wines are constantly coming into being, wines which move beyond any norm and are like a word in a foreign tongue for the mainstream.

Overdone cellar technology and time constraints lead to monodimensional wines without any real life to them. By contrast, being open to all styles/facets of a wine and extended élevage brings forth its character, which will bear the unmistakable signature of the winegrower. That’s what we mean by quality and sustainable enjoyment.

Instead of fussing over the barrels and tanks, we give the wines all the time they need to find themselves. Therefore, in our single-vineyard wines, the process of becoming wine does not take two to three weeks, but rather three to twelve months – and sometimes longer.

This way, wines of conspicuous ageability are produced, without any expiry date; this is what we understand as sustainability.