Michael Kerschbaum

Coming Up

Chief oenology and winemaking at Weingut Kerschbaum sits with Michael Kerschbaum in the Horitschon cellar, where decisions are made by season, fermentation, and the slow logic of blending rather than by display. The family winery’s identity is carried through that work: wines that read as Horitschon in profile, with precision doing as much of the talking as tradition.

Where They Are Now

Cellar direction at the Horitschon estate still runs through Michael Kerschbaum, and the work stays focused on translating the year’s conditions into structure, balance, and depth. Exactness is part of the method, but so is restraint; the winemaking leaves room for the wine to arrive where it needs to be. His note on the 2015 Blaufränkisch release makes that plain: “To enjoy the wine at its best, it should be decanted for two hours.” The instruction is practical, and it also shows how much weight he gives to timing in the glass.

Signature

Michael Kerschbaum’s signature wines include Blaufränkisch, Riede Dürrau, Cuvée Impresario, Blaufränkisch "X", and Cuvée Opera. Read together, they point to a style built on site, blend, and structure: wines with shape and tension, made with attention to how each component carries through to the finish. The names sit inside the family portfolio, but the common thread is the same cellar discipline that marks his work across the range.

In Their Words “To enjoy the wine at its best, it should be decanted for two hours.” “Anyone who stops wanting to be better has stopped being good!” These two lines map the work clearly. One is a serving instruction, specific to the bottle in front of you; the other is a working principle that rewards repetition, correction, and steady improvement. Together, they point to a winemaker who treats detail as part of quality control and progress as an ongoing discipline.

Honors

Michael Kerschbaum’s honors include Falstaff red wine award, Reserve Trophy (2018). The recognition aligns with a body of work that has been built with consistency, and with wines shaped to hold their line rather than chase effect.