Christian Tschida is one of the names that turned the wine world's attention to Austrian natural wine. Working without sulfur and without compromise near Lake Neusiedl, he has become a reference point for an entire movement.
Backstory
Tschida is the fourth generation of a winegrowing family in Illmitz, in Burgenland on the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl. He took over from his father in 2003. In 2016 the Gault Millau guide named him Austrian Winemaker of the Year, the first time the honor went to a producer working completely without added sulfur.
The Region & Vineyards
He farms about 14 hectares, the old family vines around Illmitz plus parcels he gradually acquired across the lake near Purbach on the Leithaberg. The terroirs are varied, from sandy gravel to schist and limestone. Farming is organic and guided by minimal intervention, with no chemicals in the vineyard.
Winemaking
"I want to be the tuner, not the winemaker," Tschida says. Vinification happens in large-format oak, including big foudres. The wines see long elevage, are never fined or filtered, and since 2013 are bottled completely free of added sulfur. He is uneasy with the term natural wine even as he stands among its best-known practitioners, alongside friends like Tom Lubbe of Matassa.
The Wines
The range spans skin-contact and rose-tinged cuvees and structured reds: Birdscape, Laissez Faire Riesling, Himmel auf Erden rose, All The Love in the Universe, Non Tradition Gruner Veltliner, and Blaufrankisch bottlings such as TNT and Felsen. Many were historically released in magnum. The thread throughout is purity, energy and zero additives.
