# Riesling Unendlich

- **Producer:** Weingut F.X. Pichler
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Riesling
- **Region:** Niederösterreich, Austria
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €290
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, apricot, orange, passion fruit, elderflower, honey, petrol, dried apricot, marmalade

## About this wine

Weingut F.X. Pichler, located in the breathtaking Wachau region of Austria, is globally revered as a pinnacle of white winemaking. The "Unendlich" (meaning "infinite") series represents the estate's ultimate expression of terroir and varietal character. First released in 1998 by Franz Xaver Pichler, the wine was inspired by a "Mozartean" sense of grand, symphonic complexity. The iconic label features a historic 200-year-old stage design by Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel for the "Queen of the Night" aria in Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute. This deep blue sky dotted with gold stars serves as a perfect visual metaphor for the wine's legendary, seemingly endless finish. Today, the estate is managed by Lucas and Johanna Pichler, representing five generations of Wachau viticultural excellence.

## Interesting facts

- The label features a 200-year-old stage design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel for Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute, symbolizing cosmic infinity.
- The name 'Unendlich' translates to 'infinite' in German, referencing the wine's legendary, seemingly never-ending finish.
- Unendlich is not a single-vineyard wine, but a masterful blend of the absolute ripest grapes from F.X. Pichler's top terraced sites.

## Food pairing

This full-bodied, highly concentrated Riesling requires dishes of equal weight and complexity. Its vibrant, laser-sharp acidity cuts beautifully through rich, fatty proteins like lobster, pork belly, or buttery sauces, while its intense mineral drive and subtle saline notes harmonize perfectly with high-grade raw seafood and delicate sweetbreads.

## Wine making process

The grapes for Unendlich are meticulously hand-harvested from the estate's finest steep, terraced vineyards, primarily Kellerberg and Loibenberg, which feature primary rock soils like Gföhl gneiss. Multiple passes (triages) are performed in the vineyard to select only perfectly ripe, highly concentrated berries, while botrytis is strictly avoided. Following harvest, the Riesling grapes undergo extended skin contact of up to 24 hours before pressing. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve pristine fruit clarity. The wine is then matured for 12 to 18 months on its full lees in large, neutral oak casks (foudres). No chaptalization or fining is practiced, ensuring an authentic expression of the Wachau terroir.