Kracher

The Kracher winery can be found in the municipality of Illmitz in Burgenland. The winery has delivered noble sweet wines of high quality for more han 60 years. From a young age, Gerhard Kracher could be found in the wine cellar with his father Luis.

The vineyards extend from Illmitz to the shore of Lake Neudsiedler. The location near this lake provides the perfect conditions for noble rot. The lake creates fog in the fall, which promotes the botrytis cinerea fungus. In the afternoon, it warms up nicely due to the Pannonian climate and that ensures that the development of the rot does not go too fast. This rot is particularly desirable for the production of the noble sweet Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines.

For the other wines, Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Traminer, Pinot Blanc and Scheurebe are mainly used. But Muskat-Ottonel and Zweigelt are used for production as well. All wines have an excellent balance of sweet and sour.

Gerhard produces several ranges. For example, the Zwischen den Seen range (between the lakes) is aged in steel tanks or in large wooden barrels with a long period of yeast contact. The Nouvelle Vague range is characterized by a slight oxidative wood aging on new barriques. Each wine is characterized by a wonderful layering, intense fruit, and an everlasting aftertaste.

Gerhard's father, Alois Kracher, was named Wine Maker of the Year no fewer than seven times by the British Wine Journal magazine. This happened in the years 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2008. Even shortly after his death in 2007, he managed to win this title one last time in 2008. Alois will always be seen as one of the most important producers of noble sweet wines. The Trockenbeerenauslesen, Beerenauslesen and Kracher’s Eiswein are world famous.