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At the heart of Rust's surrounding vineyards lies Turner. The soil type here is known as "Ruster Schotter," meaning "Rustian Gravel" in English. It is a sandy loam composed of prehistoric alluvial deposits of micaceous schist, quartzite and gneiss gravels lying on limestone and shell limestone bedrock. The vineyard is protected to the west by an old stone wall, to the southeast it slopes gently down to Lake Neusiedl. The plot was obtained by my ancestors, the Kraft family, who came here from Thuringia in 1770. We planted the Furmint vines in 1992.

Fact is that:
- Furmint is a native, traditional varietal of Central Europe
- A total of nine hectares in Austria are currently planted with Furmint
- Furmint requires a very specific soil and climate, and finds optimal growing conditions in the vineyards of Rust.
Furmint made in a dry style is said to have a "fiery" note. Characteristic aromas are of yellow apple, quince, chamomile, and linden flower, often with a hint of ripe vineyard peach. For me Furmint tastes best with one of my favorite dishes - Paprika Chicken with Nockerl (small dumplings). - Winemaker's Notes

About the Producer
Heidi Schröck took over her family winery in 1983, in the historic village of Rust situated in the province of Burgenland about 5 miles from the Hungarian border. As Heidi explains "South-facing vineyards in a softly rolling landscape form an amphitheater around Rust on Lake Neusiedl bringing forth some of the best and most tradition-rich wines in Austria. Yearly hours of sunshine that lie much higher than the Austrian average combined with sandy soils mixed with clay and high calcium content provide the ideal prerequisites for impressive, full-bodied wines."

In 2003 Heidi was awarded "Falstaff Vintner of the Year", making her one of only a handful of women to be obtain this distinction. She re-introduced historic varietals such as muscat-lunel and furmint from Hungary while continuing to work with more classic Austrian varietals such as grauburgunder, weissburgunder, and welschriesling. Heidi is the long-time leader of Cercle Ruster Ausbruch, an organization whose goal is to bring back Ausbruch, a sweet wine reminiscent of Hungary's Royal Tokaji that had not existed since the phylloxera outbreak in the 19th century. Ausbruch is harvested from botrytised grapes with a must weight between BA and TBA (138 Oechsle) and Heidi's wine is one of Rust's iconic examples of this noble sweet wine. - Importer's Notes