Austrian Wine

Anne Krebiehl MW of Vinous writes 92 Points: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Handwerk was harvested in Kremstal sites, from gneiss and conglomerate soils with a smaller proportion of loess and loam. The nose is a full hit of yeasty earthiness, pepper and super-savory miso paste, with hints of fern and sage. Peppery verve is alive on the palate, despite being bedded in this richness on a nonetheless slender body with a lovely phenolic web. (Bone-dry).

A Gruner that tastes just like Gruner should - citrus, white pepper, light and crisp. Perfect sipper, or pair with sushi, Thai, chicken, salads. Dry, not sweet. Winemaker Description. Rand Sieger - Lead Sommelier 67 Wine.

Crisp, refreshing, and peppery with citrus, green apple and cool stone fruit. A balanced, fine wine that is fun and easy drinking.

The perfect food wine; drink with light meats, oysters, fried chicken, spicy cuisines, sushi, tofu, veggies, snacks and more! Winemaker Description. 

Medium yellow-green, silver shimmers. Scents of fine yellow apple fruit, some passion fruit, orange zest and meadow herbs. On the palate, medium body, fresh and lively, fine white tropical fruit nuances, lemony aftertaste, already easy to drink.
Falstaff 90 Points

The Etz estate consists of 30 hectares of vineyards in the Kamptal region of Austria, and are known for producing exceptional Grüner Veltliner. Franz Etz, the proprietor of the estate, gained international recognition when he bested 600 other Grüner Veltliners in a blind tasting competition by 14 of the world's top sommeliers. After, he created a special one-liter bottling of his fruit, called Grüner, for the U.S. market.

Winemaker Description

From the most beautiful locations in the Kremstal. Fragrance reminiscent of gooseberries and cassis leaves, also herbs; juicy, fresh fruit, pinch of herbs, straightforward, uncomplicated drinking fun.

The merest touch of flinty reduction dissipates as you take the first sniff. Underneath that there is a hint of freshness, but it is only on the palate that the intensity of the yeasty concentration becomes apparent. A juicy tone of Mirabelle also arises, making for a wonderful and compelling combination.

Expert Review

Peter Moser writes:  Light yellow green colour with silver reflections. Delicate floral notes with white orchard fruit nuances in the background, a hint of lime and tangerine zest. Juicy, elegant, fine fruitiness, finesse-rich acidity, salty finish, makes you want a second glass.  Falstaff Magazine 92

Critic Notes

James Suckling 93 Points |  Perfumed aromas of dried roses, red berry fruit and licorice pull you in. Darker mocha notes, too. Medium-bodied yet deep, with dark minerals and spices accompanying the fresh berry fruit. Fine and tight tannins. From biodynamically grown grapes with Respekt certification. Drink or hold.

Winemaker Notes

The Blaufränkisch grapes come from vineyards characterised by limestone and slate in and around Jois am Leithagebirge. The grapes were harvested from mid to late September. After manual harvesting and sorting, the Blaufränkisch was fermented spontaneously in wooden fermentation racks and, after slow pressing in a basket press, aged in used Tonneaux.

On the palate, the wine appears juicy with lots of fresh cherry and pomegranate juice, with plums and lightly roasted herbs. At the same time, this is a Blaufränkisch with a mineral fresh and cool side, a lively acidity and a remarkable inner tension. Here, too, you find the slightly earthy and tart with a fine tannin. This is intense, transparent, clear and fresh wine that quickly builds up drinkability. 

91 Points James Suckling | Fresh and floral jasmine and white tea aromas here, with some fennel, salted yellow plums and celery, too. Crisp and tasty on the palate, medium-bodied, with a pleasantly herbal and yellow fruited finish. (2022). 

Martin Nigl's Freheit Gruner Veltliner is sourced from four different vineyards in the hills above the city of Krems. The soils here are primarily löss and the temperature is moderated by its steep elevation. The name ‘Freiheit’ means “freedom” and is believed to be some of the first privately owned vineyard land in the valley not controlled by the Church or a feudal estate. Fermentation and élevage occur in stainless steel and is bottled at night when the cellars of the coolest has Martin feels this helps preserve the freshness of the wines. Winemaker Description. 

Expert Reviews

James Suckling writes:  The intense black-cherry nose of this exuberant blaufrankisch red makes a bold statement. On the medium-bodied, well-structured palate it has plenty of savory and mineral depth, the fine tannins building at the warm yet crisp finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.  - James Suckling 92

Stephan Brook writes:  Walter Glatzer is one of the grand old men of Carnuntum and has been producing fine red wines for over three decades. This organic wine comes from the loess-rich site of Haidacker. The nose is juicy and stylish, with black-cherry aromas. Svelte and concentrated, i29.t's distinctly oaky, but has depth, power, and spiciness. Long.  Drinking 2022 - 2030  - Decanter 90

Winemaker Description

100 % Zweigelt. Deep cherry red color. Black cherry, strawberry and blue plum on the nose with a slight hint of spice in the background. Fruity and clean on the palate confirming its fine, spicy character. Smooth style and smooth drinker. Long, airy finish.

Perfect accompaniment to veal, all kinds of pizzas, pasta, grilled vegetables with falafel and soft cheeses.

Sunny and moderately warm summers with regular precipitation. The winters are cold but less than in the rest of Austria. That is why Vienna's climate is rather called a moderate maritime climate instead of a pronounced continental climate, even though there is no sea nearby. In autumn it can rain a lot.

Soils with a varying content of lime mixed with loam and sand. The variation in soil also makes it suitable for different grape varieties. Low-lying vineyards around Vienna.

Classic vinification in stainless steel barrels. Temperature controlled. Cool to preserve the fruity and pure character of the grape. No wood aging for the same reason. Young style that can be drunk young.

Critic Notes

James Suckling writes:  What a joyful dry white for Burgenland! A wide spectrum of ripe yellow fruit with mango and papaya, but nothing loud. Generous and juicy, but with extremely invigorating acidity. A cuvee based on gruner veltliner with furmint, welchriesling, chardonnay and pinot blanc, plus some mixed planted. From vines ranging ranging from 20 to 40 years of age. Drink or hold.  James Suckling 93

Winemaker Notes

The typical grape varieties of the region, Welschriesling, Grüner Veltliner and Furmint, work together to create a tightly knit, very precise, complex wine with mouth-filling, ripe pear fruit as well as beautiful almond, spice and herbal notes.

Powerful, creamy, dry and sensual, it is wonderfully complex and opens up countless exciting combination possibilities as a sophisticated food accompaniment. 

Graupert – "wild" in the local Burgenland dialect – is the name given to Meinklang Estate's orange wine. Made from Pinot Gris, it takes its shade from a 17-day skin maceration. Raised on fine lees in stainless steel tanks for 8 months, it is unfiltered and vegan.

The wine baffles by its colour, but captivates by its tension, its notes of dried apricot, candied orange zest, mandarin and flowers. The perfect bottle to accompany a poke bowl or tuna tataki.

Rand Sieger of 67Wine.com |  A beautiful, mineral driven Gruner with aromas of spiced pear and apple peelings, light white floral notes, and a dusting of citrus zest. The palate is full and complex with bright acidity and a long spiced finish.

It is not known for certain how long Gelber Muskateller has been in the Rust vineyards. We do know that this grape variety used to be called Weirer. This name comes from Weihrauch (frankincense) because the nutmeg scent is so prevalent. Winemaker Description. 

Green apple, papaya, pineapple, white flowers, peppermint and flint dominate this rich, extracted and exotic delight from Heidi Schröck. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description

Roter Multschak from Meinklang is an exciting red wine. Made from two Austrian indigenous grape varieties, it surprises you with its fun character. On the palate is fruity, tiny bit fizzy with cherry and pomegranate flavours.

The low amount of tannins allows you to drink it chilled.

Winemaker Description

The house brand red is a blend of Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt and Pinot Noir, which is matured in large used wooden barrels. The Zweigelt brings fruit and charm, the Pinot Noir juiciness and the Blaufränkisch character and structure.

The Blaufränkisch also dominates the nose with dark aromas, ripe black cherries and plums, some eucalyptus and a slight smokiness of bacon. On the palate it starts fresh and animating, a fine and mellow tannin spreads directly on the tongue, again cherry and fine tannins.

The house brand stands for fresh drinking fun and goes well with stews and autumnal cuisine, for example with pumpkin.

Expert Reviews

James Suckling writes:  A spicy red with plenty of blue and red fruit, plus a touch of bell pepper. Generous and lively palate, with a very unusual interplay of youthful and slightly developed aromas and slightly sappy tannins, but they add freshness to this dada wine! This is a solera-type cuvee based on the 2020 vintage, with wines going back to 2012. A crazy blend of pinot noir, merlot and zweigelt. Drink now.  - James Suckling 92

Jancis Robinson writes:  Crimson. Pale rim. Good freshness and zest and absolutely ready to drink. Nice graininess. A wine with a story. Dry end but very distinctive.  50% Zweigelt, 20–25% Blaufränkisch, 20–25% Merlot and the remainder Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Made using a solera-type system containing multiple vintages going back to 2012. The wine spends three weeks on the skins before moving to barrel.   Drinking 2023 - 2027  - Jancis Robinson 16

For red and white wines. This glass is all about elegance and finesse, created from a single piece of mouth-blown glass from the lip of the bowl to the base of the stem. It has been hailed by wine lovers as the perfect Riesling glass, but is also particularly fine for Chardonnay and Gruner Veltliner as well as Chianti and roses.

Technical perfection is the basic principle of the Zalto Denk'Art glasses, and they have always been produced following a tradition of using only the most highly skilled glass-blowers working with a selection of the best raw materials. Originally designed by Father Hans Denk, the famous Austrian "Wine Priest" who was inspired by the tilt angles of the Earth which influenced the design of the curve of the bowls.

All Zalto glasses are lead free and dishwasher safe.

Height: 235 mm, Volume Capacity: 530 ml

The Sauvignon Blanc Südsteiermark DAC is a great classic from Sattlerhof and comes from organically farmed vines on quartz and lime-strewn soils with a gravel layer that give it cool elegance.

Herbal and pear aromas and a pleasant acidity make it an exciting accompaniment to asparagus and other delicate spring dishes. Winemaker Description. 

Seductively fresh Pinot Blanc with orange zest, honeysuckle flowers, and lemongrass and a luscious texture from the bit of skin contact that we greet us like a big soft hug. He manages to coax an intense amount of flavor out a relatively neutral grape, and we think it could go with anything from a bitter green salad with winter citrus to roasted chicken, pork tenderloin or seared scallops. This could easily be our everyday white!  Because it has a nice, round body and prominent fruit, it also works as a Chardonnay alternative for those seeking a white with a bit more meat on the bones.

Winemaker Notes

The HERRENHOF was a former wine estate of the Vorau Abbey. I started this project in 2006 from scratch, without vines. It required me 15 years to rebuild the winery. Since I have always been very close to nature, it is clear to me that I grow and vinify my wines exclusively organically. I want to bring the taste of the land where I grew up into the bottle of wine. Gottfried Lamprecht. 

The wine project at the HERRENHOF is pretty young. I've started to recutivate vineyards on this perfect slope in the year 2006 completely from the scratch. My mission: I want to present the Buchertberg, the place where I grew up in a bottle of wine. Because wine just can do that! Everything is harvested by hand of course. What makes me a special wine grower? I ferment 100% in barrels. 50% of my barrels are made of wood from my own forest. This brings my wines much closer to my terroir - closer to the Buchertberg, the place where I grew up. After fermentation the wines stay on their lees till bottling. Prior bottling I just about 20mg of Sulphur or less, or nothing and anything else. It depends on the wine.

The classic Blaufränkisch from Zantho shows a fine fruit reminiscent of blackberries with a hint of cinnamon. Juicy berries on the palate are supported by a very harmonious acid and tannin structure. Winemaker Description. 

Producer Description 

Dusty tangerine in color, it opens with delectable aromas of yellow apple and vanilla wafers. On the palate it evokes orange creamsicle - while remaining completely dry! - with layers of sweet apple, spice, and a clean, refreshing finish. Certified organic.

Producer Description 

In the bouquet, ripe aromas, dense, powerful, elegant spice, great play of warm, ripe and cool mineral aromas, opens up more and more with air and has a great arc of tension. Complex aromas, green sugar snap peas, sweet and fully ripe citrus fruits, overripe bananas, dried apricots, candied ginger. We always hand-pick the Tabor vineyard at the end of our harvest. Extremely ripe grapes without botrytis. A monumental and complex Grüner Veltliner that inspires with its concentration, complex aroma, clarity and youthfulness.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points | Whiff of sage honey on the nose gives you the wrong impression, as the palate introduces freshness with kumquat and lemon oil which mingle with ripe notes of apple and pear. It is silky in texture with a slight crunch towards the mouthwatering finish.

Decanter 91 Points | The Forstreiters claim that their Tabor vineyard, which overlooks the Danube, is planted on its own roots and is the oldest in Austria. In any event, it always produces an imposing wine. The nose has swagger with rich pear aromas. The wine is weighty, full-bodied and concentrated, with a long, tangy saline finish. Not much is produced but it's worth looking out for.

Producer Description 

Crisp aromatic and complex, with hints of passion fruit, grapefruit, and white pepper.

Producer Description 

The wine opens with a very pure and fresh but intense nose of crushed limestone,
lime and lemon skins. Round and elegant on the palate, this full-bodied wine is powerful, juicy, very intense, citrusy and finishes with a refreshing, almost challenging acidity grip.

After being harvested meticulously by hand the grapes from the different parcels underwent a short maceration period and were then carefully pressed.

The pre-clarified must was fermented at cool temperatures in steel tanks, then matured to accentuate the racy, fruity character as best as possible. After ageing on the lees for a moderate length of time, the individual parts were blended together and bottled.

Producer Description 

Founded in 1171, Schloss Gobelsburg is one of the largest holders of “Grand Cru” vineyards in Austria.  This single vineyard Ried Heiligenstein is located on the the unique geological structure “Zöbinger Perm”, with the sandstone, silt and arkose giving the wine a unique herbed aroma with a washed-rind cheese quality. A crystalline texture with lemon grass, green apple and pear.  The acid is memorable and spicy without the tingle often found in high tension Austrian Riesling.

Expert Reviews

The Wine Advocate 96 Points |  Gobelsburg's 2020 Ried Heiligenstein 1ÖTW opens with a clear, bright and savory bouquet of sandstone, salt, ripe stone fruits and tea. Lush and round on the palate, this is a textured, very elegant and balanced Heiligenstein Riesling with a lingering, fine salinity on the highly elegant and aromatic finish. This is again an excellent, quiet and perfectly balanced Riesling from one of the greatest Riesling sites along the Danube River. The 2020 already drinks beautifully but can be aged for two or three decades. 13% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in September 2022. (v.2020).

James Suckling 95 Points | #47 TOP 100 WINES OF AUSTRIA, 2022. This fascinating and extremely complex dry riesling has an incredibly wide aroma spectrum, from rhubarb and ripe gooseberry to wild flowers and herbs. At once rich and tense, with tons of wet stone minerality, this is precisely balanced on the blade of a razor-sharp knife. Drink or hold. (v.2020). 

Expert Review

James Suckling 94 Points | The wine opens with a very pure and fresh but intense nose of crushed limestone, lime and lemon skins. Round and elegant on the palate, this full-bodied wine is powerful, juicy, very intense, citrusy and finishes with a refreshing, almost challenging acidity grip. (v.2022)

Jancis Robinon | Ingrid Groiss tried to escape the vineyards and small-village life of Breitenwaida in the Weinviertel north west of Vienna but the call of the vines proved irresistible. 

Her parents and grandmother owned vineyards and made wine for their own Heuriger (a country wine tavern selling young wine on tap) and for private clients and at the age of 15 she wanted to leave home to study at the Klosterneuburg winemaking school. There was one insurmountable problem: there was no dormitory for girls and her parents felt, not surprisingly, that she was too young to live on her own in or near Vienna. So she studied tourism at a nearby college.

Having completed her studies, she started working with her parents and ‘felt like life had already ended … together with my parents in this really, really tiny village surrounded by nothing – here the chicken and foxes say good night to each other – ideally marrying my neighbour who is also a farmer (as an old saying goes: loves goes away, hectares stay) so I had to leave and explore the world.’

After a happy and properous few years working in marketing for Coca Cola and Anheuser Busch in the German cities of Bremen and Berlin, she still felt something was missing – ‘a great life, good payment, a company flat and company car … so what would you expect more from life?’ The inescapable conclusion: ‘What I really desire to do and what my heart beats for: making wine!’

Fortuitously and, from Ingrid’s point of view, ‘as a sign of destiny’, at this time the University of Vienna started a new natural sciences course in Weinbau, Önologie und Weinwirtschaft (viticulture, oenology and wine marketing). Alongside her studies she gained practical experience working with producers such as Domäne Wachau, Birgit Braunstein and Birgit Eichinger. She had started making wine at home but then began the generation game.

As she explains, ‘I had already started making wine at home but with my father, and it was always big discussions and fights because he had his own philosophy and I wanted to improve many things. It didn´t work and so I asked my granny to give me her Schablau vineyard to work and make wine out of it (this was my first own vintage 2010). I had a deal with my father. I said I would work this vineyard in my own philosophy and make the wine in my style and he is not allowed to discuss it. Then we taste all wines together blind and if my wine wins I run the vineyards and make the wines on my own with my philosophy in the next year. My wine won. Now he is happy that he is not responsible for the vineyards and the cellar any more and I´m happy as well (but of course both my mum and my father support me a lot and I´m thankful for this!). Also the philosophy of my parents changed – now we already work the first vineyards organically and my father is proud of this way!’

Groiss is particularly grateful for the ‘gorgeous’ vineyards planted by her granny. ‘Most of them are 50 years and older and in these times people put much more focus on which varieties fit on which appellations and on which soil. I´m also proud that I still have many old autochthonous varieties in my gemischter Satz vineyards like Hietl Rote, Silberweisse, Weisse Vöslauer and Graue Vöslauer (varieties that where planted everywhere in Weinviertel but now nobody knows them any more). And of course I learnt a lot from my granny (there are sooo many things you cannot learn from a book – it´s things you learn from a real long life and lot of experience). She couldn´t sit at home – she always wanted to go in the vineyards with me.’

Producer Description 

There are two types of red grapes in the world that are always trimmed for finesse and elegance. The much better known is the Pinot Noir from France and then also with its relative, the German Pinot Noir.

Then in the outer tip of Austria - in Styria - there are more and more winemakers who feel a total devotion to their local red wine specialty - Blaufränkisch - and can derive just as much elegance from it as the much more prominent Pinot Noir. Now Gottfried Lamprecht is very fortunate to have the Buchertberg, a vineyard that can show dramatic differences in the soil. And anyone who has ever been to Burgundy in France and has seen the prices of wines that come from particularly fortunate soils - for the winemakers and their wallets - will appreciate Gottfried Lamprecht's wines.

For the connoisseurs it should be briefly mentioned that on the Buchertberg opok soils, partly sandstone weathering, sand and silt change in a very small space and make up the rare great class of this wine.

Producer Description 

A Wachau Gem: Embark on an Austrian wine adventure with this vibrant Grüner Veltliner from Weingut Prager. The 2022 Federspiel Hinter der Burg bottling captures the essence of the Wachau Valley, with its zesty acidity, minerality, and captivating aromas of citrus, green apple, and white pepper.

Expert Review

James Suckling 91 Points | Super clean with grapefruit, green apples, thyme and wet stones. It’s fresh and creamy, with a medium body and a sleek, textured and mineral finish. Drink now or hold. Sustainable. Screw cap (v.2022).

Our Professional Review

Rand of 67Wine.com writes | This singe vineyard Gruner Veltliner jumps out of the glass with loads of ripe berry, peach, and apple fruit encircled by a wreath of  dusty flowers and herbs which continue on the palate.  Carries itself with  great authority.\

Producer Description 

Ried Renner is situated on the bottom slope of the Ried Gaisberg Riesling terraces. The soil structure here is deeper and offers more water retention than the primary rock higher on the slopes, making it perfect for growing top quality Grüner Veltliner. The soil here is classic Kamptal loess, but with a high proportion of eroded material from the primary rock(para-gneiss, amphibolite, and mica) subsoil of this vineyard.

Expert Review

Vinous 94 Points | The 2021 Grüner Veltliner Ried Renner, picked in a site of alluvial deposits mixed with loess, opens with a tone of honey, denoting an extra year of age. The palate, however, is fluid freshness, scented around the edges with gentle pepper alongside softer notions of chervil, yarrow. The yeasty aspect on the mid-palate is bright, light and lemony. This is a picture of freshness and harmony, where ripe stone fruit makes another appearance just before the smooth, serene finish—a picture of equanimity and understated harmony, with a lemon aftertaste. (Bone-dry). (v.2021)

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points | This is ripe, with verbena, citrus-oil, white-peach and Jonagold apple flavors seamlessly layered, but there's firm acidity to keep this balanced. Spice details are carrying through a long, floral finish. Still a bit tight, but this unfurls nicely with air. Aleks Zecevic. (v.2021). 

The Wine Advocate 93 Points | The 2021 Ried Renner 1–TW is pure, fine and mineral on the nose that also displays a ripe, yellow stone fruit aroma as if this Grüner Veltliner had been kissed by Riesling. Very elegant and refined on the palate, this is a lush, intense, slightly creamy-textured Renner Veltliner with substance, intensity and fine tannin grip. It has very good and aromatic length. 13.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at Schloss Grafenegg, September 2023. (v.2021). 

Our Professional Description

Natural unfiltered Rose from Austria.  Made from Pinot Noir and Merlot.  Very candy like with lots of summer fruits such as strawberries. Tropical fruits include lemons. 

Winemaker Description

Wachau Riesling is dry and often defined by high levels of dry extract (due to a lengthy ripening period) and a pleasing freshness (due to dramatic temperature swings between day and night). Rudi Pichler’s Riesling Achleithen comes from steep, southwest-facing terraces of meager primary rock soils resulting in a dry white wine of great structure and strong mineral character.

Intense lime and green apple aromas on the nose followed by some funky (and pleasant) notes of passion fruit / durian / boiled green beans / asparagus. Pronounced lime-y acidity with an underlying salinity. Long finish.

Laser-focused and mineral-loaded with ripe layers of sun-kissed citrus fruits, mango peel, and crunchy yellow/green apple on a bed of crushed white rock and honeysuckle. It’s unabashedly delicious yet complex and bone-dry; a quintessential snapshot of a storied terroir.

Want an authentic, elite bottling of Kremstal? This is it! Enjoy now and over the next 3-5 years. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description

Meinklang Burgenland Red 2022 is an exuberant and vivacious red wine. As one brings the glass closer to the nose, a bouquet of ripe red fruits unfurls, featuring cherries and raspberries, complemented by a subtle spicy note that beckons the first taste.

On the palate, its youthfulness is manifested in an unexpectedly zesty freshness, with fruit flavors that evoke a stroll through an orchard in the height of summer. Its velvety texture and pleasing finish ensure that each sip is thoroughly enjoyable.