Weingut Zahel Gemischter Satz ‘Original Eigenbau’

Vienna’s Gemischter Satz is one of only 300 products worldwide that SlowFood awarded its Ark of Taste award, created to protect high-quality and traditionally produced foods for future generations in the face of industrialized agriculture and big business. 

The Zahel family was the first to ever bottle Gemischter Satz, capturing the spirit of Vienna’s local wine taverns (Heurigers) which began when Emperor Joseph II's ordinance of 1784 allowed Austrians to sell home-made food, wine, and the convivial spirit of Viennese Gemütlichkeit (warmth, friendliness, and good cheer).  

This unique white wine is always Gruner Veltliner-driven, but it can also include a number of other grapes. All of the grapes have to be harvested at the same time and fermented together, and making good Gemischter Satz requires a lot of experience and intuition.

Alex Zahel's version includes six grapes (Gruner Veltliner, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot  Blanc, Traminer, and Chardonnay) grown on limestone and sandstone terraces at 330 meters overlooking downtown Vienna. Grown together and then picked on the same day, this electric white is then co-fermented dry using only native, wild yeasts.