Christian Tschida Birdscape

Winemaker: Christian Tschida

Appellation: Neusiedler See, Burgenland, Austria

Grape Varieties: Blaufrankisch, Pinot Noir, and some white varieties

Birdscape is made with what Christian calls “Pink Maceration,” a very light extraction with just a small amount of contact with the skins, to result in a very dark rosé, or perhaps a very light red wine. Label art by Erró.

Age of Vines: 40 years

Making of: Grapes are hand harvested and crushed by foot. The juice ferments in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. Christian made just one 3000 liter barrel of this wine. It is bottled without sulfur. 

Christian Tschida (pronounced like cheetah) has the great fortune to cultivate 14 hectares of old vines, some of which have been with his family for 4 generations, since the 19th century. The winery is located in the Neusiedler See part of Burgenland, the easternmost point of Austria, more traditionally known for red and sweet wine production. The vineyards consist of sandy gravel, schist and limestone, which all enjoy a moderating influence from the extremely large and nearby Lake Neusiedler. Christian takes a hands-off approach to winemaking, where the wines spend a great deal of time in barrel in contact with oxygen, some for as many as 5 years before bottling. He says the key to all his wines is the vertical basket press he uses. This tool is like a modern re-imagining of an old manual screw press. Christian says he uses very light pressure when he presses, comparable to the amount of pressure a handshake would exert. By doing this he extracts only the best juice from the grapes. He then returns the must and remaining juice to the vines, in a special preparation he makes to aid the health of the vineyard.

Christian ferments all of his wines in closed top tanks that sit outside in the shade, in which the grapes are foot stomped. After which the juice is moved inside to barrel for aging. As of the 2015 vintage, all of Christian’s wines are made without any additions of sulfur. The wines are never racked, and everything is bottled by hand to preserve the freshness of the wine and leave a little residual carbon dioxide to aid preservation.