Kracher

The Kracher family of Illmitz, on the shores of Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, make what many consider the greatest sweet wines outside Sauternes and Tokaj. The late Alois Kracher put the estate on the world map with his Trockenbeerenauslesen (intensely sweet, botrytis-laden wines of astonishing purity), and his son Gerhard has carried the standard on without missing a step.

The shallow lake and misty autumns of the Seewinkel bring noble rot almost every year, and Kracher turns it into liquid gold: Welschriesling, Traminer, Rosenmuskateller and more, each balancing huge sweetness with electric acidity.