# Unconditional Love (NV)

- **Producer:** Weingut Kögl
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Muskat Ottonel
- **Region:** Steiermark, Austria
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €25
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 7–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, apricot, grapefruit, herbaceous, fennel, rose, grape, smoke, cedar, dried apricot, tobacco, hay

## About this wine

Produced by winemaker Tamara Kögl-Rettenbacher at Weingut Kögl, Unconditional Love is a deeply personal, creatively daring orange wine from Southern Styria, Austria. Tamara represents the third generation at this historic estate, taking over in 2012. She views winemaking through an artistic and synesthetic lens, translating her sensory experiences into unique, hand-carved linocut labels. The estate's vineyards on the Stermetzberg hill feature extreme slopes of up to 80% and are farmed biodynamically, operating as a closed-loop ecosystem with sheep, orchards, and high biodiversity.

## Interesting facts

- Grown on extreme mountain slopes with inclines of up to 80%, making mechanical harvesting completely impossible.
- The unique label is an abstract artwork created by winemaker Tamara herself using hand-carved linocuts.
- A rare multi-vintage orange wine blending three consecutive years to achieve perfect structural harmony.

## Food pairing

The wine's bone-dry profile, medium-plus acidity, and distinct phenolic grip make it an exceptional partner for complex, spiced, and textured dishes. The aromatic intensity of Muskat Ottonel stands up beautifully to fragrant herbs and spices, while the skin-contact tannins cut through the richness of roasted meats and creamy, washed-rind cheeses.

## Wine making process

This wine is a precise multi-vintage blend of Muskat Ottonel from 2021, 2022, and 2023, designed to balance structural depth with vibrant aromatics. The 2021 component was fermented with whole bunches, underwent three months of skin contact, and aged for two years in small oak barrels. The 2022 component was destemmed, fermented with three months of skin contact, and aged for one year in oak. The 2023 component was destemmed and fermented on the skins for 14 days. Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, unfined, unfiltered, and bottled with minimal sulfur.