In search of Austria’s greatest vineyards plus 12 wines to try

Selecting the finest vineyard sites is a fraught matter in any country, and Austria is no exception. Owners of specific sites are understandably keen to have them validated; other owners have less of a vested interest. Moreover, in some areas, precise boundaries between vineyards have sometimes been difficult to pin down, and some vineyards, such as Gaisberg in Kamptal, belong to more than one village.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 12 top white wine picks from Lower Austria

Despite all this, the growers’ association called the Oesterreichische Traditionsweingüter (Austrian traditional wine estates) has – off its own bat – created a selection of what its members consider the finest vineyards (Rieden) in Lower Austria. The association has no official standing, but is widely respected and few would quarrel with its choice of some 90 sites as Erste Lagen (first growths).

Not many are household names, but the same might well be true of the premier cru vineyards of Santenay or St Aubin. As with the official DAC classification, only traditional varieties win the association’s seal of approval for each site.

There is one serious flaw in the Erste Lage classification: the Wachau, arguably Austria’s most prestigious wine region, is not included, as Wachau growers have their own growers’ association, Vinea Wachau. And by definition, regions outside Lower Austria, such as the Burgenland and Styria, are excluded.

Nonetheless, there is widespread agreement about which vineyards repeatedly deliver outstanding results. The selection below cannot be definitive, as it is dependent on other factors such as the competence of owners.

Wachau

Achleiten (22 ha): For Heinz Frischengruber, technical director of the fine cooperative Domäne Wachau, this is the greatest vineyard in all of Austria. That may be hyperbole, but many would agree that it’s the top site of the Wachau.

It lies within the village of Weissenkirchen. Its soils, with mica schist lower down and gneiss higher up, as well as patches of loess and limestone, generate highly mineral wines that are exceptionally pungent and expressive. Elevation is an important factor, as it ranges from 200 to 360 metres, all on terraces with very little topsoil.

Most of the terraces, which enjoy excellent ventilation, face south and southwest. Both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are structured and long-lived, though Toni Bodenstein of the Prager estate describes them as relatively feminine.

Kellerberg (15 ha): The Wachau is not immune from global warming, and some growers fear that certain esteemed sites, such as Loibenberg, are now becoming too hot for ideal ripening. Vineyards in Spitz, the most westerly and coolest village, are consequently becoming more prized. Nonetheless, certain traditionally renowned vineyards have maintained their reputation.

Dürnsteiner Kellerberg is one example. The sandy loess topsoil is a bit deeper than that of Achleiten, but not far from the surface there’s primary rock, with gneiss and quartz.

Kellerberg produces powerful wines, but a side valley brings in cooler air to refresh the vines.

Kamptal

Zöbinger Heiligenstein (35 ha): If Achleiten is Austria’s most revered vineyard, then Heiligenstein is surely its best known. It rises loftily above surrounding vineyards, which have mostly loam and loess soils, and offers a more complex soil profile. The elevation ranges from 240 to 350 metres, and the technical name for its geological structure is ‘perm’, a mind of brittle volcanic sandstone and feldspar.

This bedrock is sufficiently fissured to allow roots to descend in search of nutrients. South-facing, it’s a very warm location, but cool winds from the north help to maintain acidity. The vineyards are terraced and this is one of the few spots in the Kamptal where Riesling reigns supreme.

Heiligenstein is a large site, with over a dozen proprietors. So quality is not always that consistent, but the owners include some of Austria’s most illustrious names: Bründlmayer, Gobelsburg, Jurtschitsch, Hirsch, and Loimer. Bründlmayer actually produces three different Rieslings from here.

Given its size and the diversity of producers, it’s hard to generalise about flavour profiles, but Heiligenstein Riesling often displays a pronounced citric character and the wines can be very long-lived, rivalling the top growths of the Wachau.

Kammerner Lamm (25 ha): Lamm is situated on the southeastern flank of Heiligenstein, and is largely composed of the loam and loess that are absent from its neighbour, although the highest sector has some sandstone too. It offers a completely different expression of Kamptal terroir. For a start, it is planted solely with Grüner Veltliner, and its lower elevation, up to 280 metres, means that the site is exceptionally warm. That warmth is mitigated by excellent ventilation. In the 1990s, when super-rich wines were in vigour, it was not uncommon to encounter Lamm wines with over 15% alcohol.

Fortunately, today’s wines show more restraint and elegance. Nonetheless, these are broad-shouldered wines with considerable power, but the best of them age well too.

Here too there are multiple owners. Bründlmayer and Gobelsburg are the best known, but excellent wines are also produced by Eichinger, Jurtschitsch, and Hirsch.

Kremstal

This is the most diverse Lower Austrian region in terms of its geological makeup. Most of the vineyards are calcareous, but may also contain deep beds of loess near or below the surface. The same applies to the flatter vineyards on the south side of the Danube. Sites close to the river may also contain a significant proportion of gravel. However, just west of Krems itself, behind the adjoining town of Stein, are steeply terraced sites of primary rock, often gneiss or mica, that resemble the vineyards of the Wachau, which they border.

In addition, around Senftenberg, well away from the river, is a group of dramatic and steep terraced vineyards. Here there may be patches of loam and loess, but the sites are dominated by primary rock that often lies close to the surface.

Hochäcker (14 ha): This medium-sized terraced vineyard is in the village of Senftenberg and is the upward extension of another well-known suite, Pellingen. It was first documented in 1425. Some years ago Hochäcker was not that esteemed, because of its cold and windy microclimate, since the elevation rises to 380 metres. But with global warming, those very conditions are seen as advantageous.

The wild landscape here protects an abundance of flora and fauna which provide Hockäcker with its biodiversity. The wines are very concentrated and mineral, with exemplary finesse and good ageing potential. The weathered soil is rich in iron and gneiss, making it ideal for Riesling. There are two principal proprietors: Proidl and Nigl.

Vienna

Until recently the over 600 hectares of vineyards within the capital’s city limits were not that highly regarded, as most of the grapes were used to supply the numerous Heurigen, or wine inns, in villages such as Grinzing, Heiligenstadt, and Neustift. Most of those who flocked to the Heurigen were more interested in quantity than quality, so standards were not especially high, although the top wineries, such as Wieninger and Mayer, have always sold their best wines in bottle, and not just in Vienna.

The most famous vineyard, overlooking the city’s most bucolic suburbs, is the Nussberg, but it’s a very large site that isn’t uniform in quality. The best producers bottle wines from sectors within the Nussberg, such as Gollin or Preussen.

Preussen (11.5 ha): First documented in 1277, Preussen has a rather complex geological structure with sandstone, quartz, limestone, and some marine sediments too. It’s a fine source of Rieslings and also of Vienna’s DAC wine Wiener Gemischter Satz, which honours the ancient tradition of field blends that are still common in this area.

Stephen Brook’s top white wine picks from Lower Austria

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