Embrizzo: novel food companion from Weingut Graf Hardegg. Alcohol-free & dry!

Click on thumbnail to download photo.

The stipulation was "dry". After all, there are already a whole host of fine juices, kombuchas, and sparkling teas worldwide, but the majority of these drinks have a significant sugar content. That’s a challenge for the sommelier who is getting desperate to find dry non-alcoholic food accompaniments. So Hardegg winery manager Andreas Gruber teamed up with German oenologist Frank John and worked out a tasty solution. What they came up with after a long period of experimentation bears the name Embrizzo grape kombucha. Maximilian Hardegg, owner of the Graf Hardegg winery in the north Weinviertel region of Lower Austria says, "I am delighted with this truly successful wine alternative, which we’ve named after a common bird species here at the Hardegg estate, the yellowhammer with the Latin name 'Emberiza citrinella'." A new grape drink patented throughout Europe due to its innovative production method, Embrizzo is now available from the winery's online store at guthardegg.at/shop for €15.90 per 0.75L bottle.

How Embrizzo is produced. For Maximilian Hardegg, his son Alexius Hardegg, and Andreas Gruber, it was clear that the basis for Embrizzo had to come from the estate's own organic vineyard. They opted for Grüner Veltliner, Merlot, and Zweigelt grapes. In order to ferment their juice into a dry alcohol-free drink, a detour was taken via dealcoholized wine as an intermediate. Andreas Gruber explains the main production phase: "Grape juice is added to the dealcoholized wine as a source of sugar for the subsequent kombucha fermentation. This allows us to dispense with water, which would otherwise be added during kombucha processes. We also add organic ingredients such as hibiscus, rosehip, nettle, yarrow, mallow, various herbs, and hops from Austria’s Mühlviertel, for a broad spectrum of flavors." To preserve its fine fresh flavors, Embrizzo is made shelf-stable without artificial preservatives or heating, and bottled with its natural turbidity.

How Embrizzo tastes. Lucas Matthies of kein & low, a non-alcoholic and low-alcohol wine alternative dealer: "The Embrizzo grape kombucha already impresses me in the nose. If you tasted it blind, you could mistake it for a white wine with some maceration time. Flavors of rosehip, hibiscus and wonderful spicy notes unfold in the mouth. The Kombucha's tannins capture the acidity perfectly, and you will look in vain for sugar here. The brilliant finish rounds off the taste experience. For me, Hardegg's Embrizzo really is an innovation in the field of low-alcohol options that absolutely belongs in the kein & low product range."

Label design. The Embrizzo label needed to be fresh and youthful, and to fit Hardegg's corporate design. With a cheerful "cloud of color," it is intended to appeal to a younger, health-conscious market segment that values good products and knows how to celebrate in a relaxed manner. It was created by the Austrian design duo of Nemecek & Stock according to the specifications of Alexius Hardegg and Andreas Gruber.

The Graf Hardegg winery. The Hardegg estate is located in Seefeld-Kadolz in the northern Weinviertel region of Austria near the Czech border, and is owned by the Hardegg family. Maximilian Hardegg manages the thirty-hectare vineyard, which has been organically farmed since 2006, as well as the agricultural estate. Animal welfare, sustainability, and a high level of biodiversity are very important to him and his family. With the creation of biotopes, irrigation ditches, hedges and windbreaks, as well as the annual songbird count, the farm takes important measures for landscape conservation and biodiversity in the region. In 2023, Maximilian Hardegg was awarded the Golden Medal of Honor by Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner for his outstanding services to the state of Lower Austria.

The Hardegg vineyards are located within a radius of about eight kilometers around the castle winery and are spread over three individual sites. The soils are mainly calcareous sediment and raw rock soils with a high sand content. The annual average rainfall in Seefeld-Kadolz is 400 to 450 mm, which represents the minimum requirement for the vines. For this reason, particular attention is paid to soil improvement, humus formation and water storage capacity. guthardegg.at

WEINGUT GRAF HARDEGG
Großkadolz 1, 2062 Seefeld-Kadolz, Austria
Telephone: +43 2943 2203, Email: office@guthardegg.at
guthardegg.at
instagram.com/gut_hardegg
facebook.com/WeinGutGrafHardegg
linkedin.com/showcase/weingut-graf-hardegg

EMBRIZZO
Sample requests
Winery manager Andreas Gruber: office@guthardegg.at
Direct sales price: 15.90 Euro incl. VAT for a 0.75 L bottle

Enquiries
Sylvia Petz | Agency for organised enjoyment
Gumpendorfer Strasse 16/8, 1060 Vienna, sylvia-petz.at
Email: sp@sylvia-petz.at, Tel. +43 699 1100 8040

zurück