Weingut Velich is located in Burgenland, home to one of the most unique landscapes in Europe and a protected UNESCO heritage site. The winery and vineyards are in a quiet, sleepy village called Apetlon, which is in the “Seewinkel” area on the western side of a vast, shallow and slightly saline (1.5%) lake, called Neusiedler See, located southeast of Vienna, with the “end of the Alps” to the western side of the lake and the Pannonian plain further east. Historically, this was a very poor section of Hungary and only joined Austria in 1921; the border with Hungary is just a few kilometers west. The Neusiedler See (Lake Neusiedl) and the 40 or so other, smaller “steppe lakes” in the area are a defining characteristic of the landscape, and the largest “closed basin” in Europe. Despite its proximity to the Danube, the water level of the lakes is regulated only by rainfall. They don’t drain or feed into any other bodies of water, creating a distinctive climate with flora and fauna unique to the lake and surrounding wetlands. Due to the high humidity from the lake and warm southeastern wind from the Pannonian plain, the vineyards surrounding the lake were famous for sweet wines. In the north (west), the hills of the Leithagebirge produce some of the best red wines in Austria.

The origins of the winery go back to 1959, when Heinz and Roland Velich’s father Helmut planted what he thought were Pinot Blanc vines in their home village of Apetlon. The vines turned out to be Chardonnay and perfectly suited to the limestone-rich soils in the village. Chardonnay turned out to be much better for producing dry wine than the sweet wines that fetched high prices in the 1970s and 1980s. Both Heinz and his brother Roland worked together at the family estate in the 1990s when they produced the first dry Chardonnay from the oldest vineyard planted by their father, called Tiglat. This wine earned immediate international recognition for both brothers. Roland Velich, the elder of the two, was also very interested in Blaufrankisch, an autochthonous red variety, and began working with vineyards north of the lake to produce red wines. Roland founded Weingut Morich in 2001, and for a time, the two brothers worked together on both properties. In 2006, Roland devoted all of his time and energy to Morich, while Heinz took over the family winery, focusing on Chardonnay. The wines that the Velich brothers produced together were very different from the style that Heinz produces today; the wines were very rich, dense, and mouth-filling.

Today, Heinz produces wines of restraint and fluidity, reflecting the extraordinary soils and climate in which they are grown. Work in the cellar is informed by meticulous work in the vineyards, where natural viticulture is the standard. Improvement of soil health and preservation of old vines are most important. “Great wine is not possible without great vineyard work,” says Heinz. The system that Heinz has implemented, now with the help of his son Tobi, includes full cover crops and zero tilling to help prevent erosion and keep soil temperatures moderate. “The soil is very calcareous, with 35% chalk, so it’s quite important to build organic matter to give nutrients back to the vines. There is no green harvest as the vines are very well regulated and already struggle in the poor soils of our area,” Heinz remarks. All of the wines that Velich produces are labeled as Landwein, the equivalent of “Vin de France” and without appellation. Velich prefers to forgo classification rather than be told by the governing bodies how his wine should taste to fit into the “standards” of appellation.

The wines that Velich produces are loosely based on vine age and vineyard selection, followed by a selection of barrels in the cellar. The fruit is always 100% hand-harvested, pressed gently, with juice going directly into barrel or stainless steel, depending on the age of the vines. Younger, 10–25-year-old vineyards are fermented naturally in a mixture of stainless steel and neutral barrels. Fruit from the oldest vineyards is fermented naturally in neutral Austrian barrels. Long fermentations without temperature control and long elévage are the norm. The wines are never fined or filtered and are bottled with a minimal amount of sulfur.

There are three Chardonnays produced: Tó takes its name from the Hungarian word for “lake” and is a collection of younger vines, 15-25 years old. The elévage here is shorter than the other cuvees with 8-12 months on the lees and a small proportion of stainless steel. The blend is usually 85% Chardonnay with 15% Welschie and Sauvignon. Velich's next cuvee, Darscho is named after a smaller lake in the village and comes from vineyards which are 35-50 years old. The fermentation and elévage are very similar to the top wine, Tiglat, though it is generally a few months shorter, closer to 20 months on the full lees before racking and bottling. Tiglat, which comes from the original plantings from 1959, is the crown jewel of the line-up. The wine is fermented naturally and kept on the full lees for at least 24 months, though this too depends on the vintage. “When you taste the wines, you can feel a change in character, and you feel the wine is ready. It is not about a formula, it is about feeling.” Velich says. Tiglat is kept for at least 6 months in bottle before it’s released, sometimes longer. It is a wine that is both broad and textured as well as focused and linear. Like a great White Burgundy, it tends to tighten up and shine with aeration.

In addition to these three Chardonnays, Velich produces a beautiful Welschriesling; “our Aligoté,” Heinz notes. This is 60% in stainless steel and 40% in neutral oak, with 8-10 months on the lees. Velich also continues to make several stunning sweet wines in keeping with the tradition of the area, though these are not produced each year and age for an extended period before release. While Chardonnay from Burgenland is not what one expects when thinking about “Austrian Wine”, these are truly singular, world-class wines, full of character.