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Sulphites (sulphur dioxide, SO2) are applied to grapes when they are harvested and throughout the production process. They are applied in powder, liquid, gas and tablet form. They are applied to grapes to prevent the wine from becoming oxidised and they also help to disinfect the equipment in which wine is made. In Austria the sulphite limits are 150 mg/l for red wine and 200 mg/l for white wine. We use approximately half this dose.

The main varieties in our part of the world are:

White grapes: Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Gewürztramminer, Grüner Veltliner, Müller Thurgau

Red and pink grapes used to make white wines: Pinot noir. Gewürztramminer, young Roter Veltliner

Blue grapes for making red, rosé and white wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Blaufränkisch, Blauer Portugieser

Noble rot causes a grape to dry out with a high concentration of sugar, making it ideal for the production of sweet dessert wines. It is the beneficial form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, that grows on grapes and draws the moisture it needs from them. Its growth consumes around 2/3 of the water in the grape, making it suitable for use in dessert wines.

This fungus is essential to the production of sweet wines such as our Jubiläumsrebe (noble rot wine) as well as sweet Hungarian Tokay.

A cuvée is a wine that is made from multiple grape varieties.

Our portfolio includes 4 cuvées:

R2 ( 80% Welschriesling, 20% Rhine Riesling)
Ingenuus (60 % Blaufrankish, 30 % Merlot, 10 % Cabernec Franc)
Magnus Two (95 % Merlot, 5 % Cabernet Franc)
Rosea Delicata (50% Blaufränkisch, 50% Merlot)

The sweetness of a wine depends on the residual sugar after fermentation. It is measured in g/l. It is sugar that was not converted to alcohol during fermentation.

A grape variety is a cultivar of the species Vitis Vinifera (common grape vine). Each has a set of characteristic properties that remain stable for a certain period (aroma, flavour, colour and so on). It is the character of the grape that determines the above factors. Some varieties are more acidic (Riesling); others are spicy (Gewürtztramminer) and others provide intense colour (Cabernet Sauvignon).

This is a natural process in which sugars are transformed into alcohol through the action of yeast microbes.  Yeast converts sugar from the grapes into an equal quantity of alcohol and carbon dioxide under the influence of heat and natural processes. Fermentation ends when all the sugar has been converted to alcohol. Specially bred yeasts can be used to speed up fermentation. Kral Steffanus does not use these modified strains of yeast and tries to ensure that the production process is as natural as possible without external interference.

After wine has been delivered from a shop or winery, you should let it rest for at least two weeks to allow it to recover and harmonise. It is always best to cool wine before serving it.

Decanting is a way to prepare wine for drinking by pouring it into a carafe. The aim of decanting is to allow the wine to air and release more aromas; on the other hand, wine loses its aroma the longer it sits in a carafe.