Tibor & Illa Szemes, Director, www.szemes.at
Tibor Szemes was a charismatic personality and successful Négociant-Éleveur with forward thinking who was a driving force behind ARACHON T.FX.T. As a négociant (the French term used to describe winemakers who buy young wine and mature it themselves, without owning a vineyard) in Pinkafeld, Tibor began his cooperation with Josef Pusch and the Vereinte Winzer Blaufränkischland in 1985, when he created his own wine labels. The Szemes Blaufränksich Tradition is aged for twelve months in used oak barrels and the premium label Szemes Blaufränkisch Imperial C.S. is aged for 16 months in new French oak barrels.
The unexpected and premature death of Tibor Szemes in the spring of 2001 shocked the winemaking business in Austria. His wife Illa, who was involved in the project from the beginning, continues to work in her late husband’s name.
F.X. Pichler, Director, www.fx-pichler.at
Franz Xaver Pichler is internationally renowned for his highly acclaimed Grüner Veltliner and Riesling wines from the Wachau, as well as his exceptional talent in the vineyard and grape selection. F.X. Pichler praises the local grape growers, “I had not expected so much enthusiasm and motivation from the individual growers. I particularly value the personal contact that we have with the local families – Horitschon has almost become my second home.”
“… F.X. Pichler is the Château Latour, Domaine de la Romanèe Conti, Zind-Humbrecht, Sandrone and Helen Turley of the Wachau.“ (Robert Parker Jr, The Wine Advocate)
Manfred Tement, Director, www.tement.at
Born on the Austrian-Slovenian border, Manfred Tement is internationally respected for his excellent Sauvignon Blanc Zieregg wines. He has analysed every single part of his vinification process with absolute precision in his new winery in the south of Styria, and has passed on these valuable results to the ARACHON T.FX.T Project.
“The region shows a very unique soil structure for red wine, especially for Blaufränkisch. It produces aromatic and very individual wines. In a blind tasting, you can recognise the wine at once. Not many wine producing regions can claim to have this advantage.” (Manfred Tement)