“I love beauty in general. That’s why I keep taking photos of everything” – says Kurt István Taschner, winemaker of Sopron wine region. He loves nature, he loves staying in the vineyard, under God’s sky and he built his estate building so that he can see Schneeberg mountain from his window.

You are what you eat – says the well known proverb. And also you are what surrounds you. If a person is surrounded by beauty all the time – the Lake Fertő (Neusiedler See), the mountains, the vineyards at sunset – the beauty moves into that winemaker, and moves into the wine. Let us introduce a winemaker in an irregular way, through his photos.

The stunning Fertő region

Sopron used to be the capital of Burgenland. Now Burgenland belongs to Austria, and this amazing town near the border is still a mix of nationalities. Kurt’s father, István spoke German, he learnt to speak Hungarian in the kindergarden. He gave his son a Kékfrankos vineyard and a second name. Sopron is the capital of Kékfrankos, and due to the high acidity and outstanding quality, Kékfrankos wines from Sopron has a long ageing potential.
Lake Fertő (Neusiedler See) is close to the town, its natural beauty attracts tourists all year long. Ideal for cycling around, sailing or just staring at it…

Scroll down for the image gallery.

5 star view from the winery

Kurt István Taschner is so obsessed by beauty – in the most positive aspect – that he built his estate building near Pihennőkereszt, an elevated area of Sopron, where the view of Scheeberg mountain in Austria is amazing, and you can see the whole town as well. The tasting room awaits guests, tasting Taschner wines there is an unforgettable experience. Below is the tasting room – and above is the view.

The first Irsai of the year

Taschner is not only famous for Kékfrankos, but his white wines are also the favourite of many winelovers (whenever I fly with Wizzair, I always order a Taschner Chardonnay…). His Irsai was the first white wine of the year, and the grapes were harvested by hand, because the plantation is old and machine cannot be used.

Collecting garbage voluntarily

Kurt István Taschner uses his photos to help the community as well. To draw attention to trash left somewhere illegally, and he also organized voluntarily garbage collecting.

A man of belief

“Belief is a ways of life for me and my family. In the morning, on the way to school we say a prayer with the kids. If I think of my job, it would be very hard without my belief. The vintage, the weather, the diseases of the vineyard – all of them are unpredictable. nd without belief it would be hard to process when something bad happens. By the way, there hasn’t been hail in Sopron for years – God’s blessing.” (Excerpt from an interview on Hitvallás.hu)

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