But let's not jump ahead so quickly.
We have vineyards in 5 different sites in Sopron. We love each one for different reasons, and we see huge potential in all of them. The Steiner site has always held a special place in our hearts due to its exciting soil characteristics and fantastic exposure. We are proud to have impressive neighbors whose wines always make a strong impression on us. Years ago, when we had the opportunity to work on an additional 1-hectare plot in this site, we knew we wanted to create something truly special there. Vineyard planning, of course, goes far beyond impulsive or intuitive decisions. Our viticultural and winemaking activities have always been characterized by long-term thinking and planning over 10-15 year horizons.
For the new 1-hectare plot at Steiner, we were certain we wanted to plant white varieties. Our French expert colleagues confirmed this after studying the site and the results of the soil analyses. Both from a soil and climatic perspective, this part of the site is particularly ideal for white varieties. After multiple consultations with our advisors, we decided to create a mixed white vineyard, a Gemischter Satz type. Our Austrian neighbors have a strong tradition of wines made from different varieties harvested from the same site at the same time, known as Gemischter Satz. These wines not only offer exciting opportunities for the winemaker but also convey the characteristics of the site incredibly well. Since we have only made red varietal wines from our Sopron vineyards so far, we see it as a particularly exciting challenge to focus on the terroir in our first white wine.
In recent years, soil analyses and preparatory work have been carried out, while our team conducted market research and trend forecasting related to the future assortment-defining wine, which we will be able to taste at the earliest in 3-4 years.
At the beginning of the year, everything was ready for planting as soon as the weather and vegetation cycle allowed, when unexpectedly the Covid-19 pandemic took control of our known world for months. With the introduction of various restrictions, the planned work became increasingly uncertain. When the borders closed, we seriously wondered whether we could carry out the work or if we would have to write off a whole year to the pandemic and only plant our first white vines in Sopron in 2021.
Our Austrian partner, Scheiblhofer Reben GmbH, from whom we have been purchasing our rootstocks exclusively for 20 years, could only cross the border if the arriving colleagues underwent a 14-day official quarantine, which, let's face it, was not a viable option. So how to proceed?
Help came in the form of Ákos Molnár, who, despite being a direct competitor of the Austrian company, agreed to plant the rootstocks if they crossed our border. We are deeply grateful to Ákos Molnár, president of the Sopron Wine Community, for his selfless help. Our viticulture colleague Máté Elek, who works at our sister estate, the Esterházy winery, helped with the transport of the rootstocks. As a resident of Sopron, Máté was able to freely travel between the two countries due to his work in Austria. At this point, events accelerated incredibly. In early May, we received the news that Ákos would take on the planting and Máté the transport, and by May 7 we were already lined up for the work. The saying is true: a person is known in trouble. It was heartwarming how naturally and selflessly everyone involved helped us during these uncertain and challenging days for all.
After that, we took in stride the fact that due to drought conditions, we had to carry out the work in desert-like circumstances. We trust and believe that such a "diverse" vineyard, which is now being born and was created with so many helping hands, will produce exceptional wines within a few years. We will certainly always remember these days.
We continue to do our work, as life in the vineyard and cellar never stops.
