Austrian dry Riesling: Expert’s choice
It may not get star billing, but Austria’s Riesling can and often does rank among the very best, with styles ranging from bracingly fresh and fruity to superbly complex. Stephen Brook selects 30 to try.
Although Grüner Veltliner is Austria’s leading white variety, Riesling plays an important role too, with 2,000ha planted, compared to Veltliner’s 14,000ha. At its best, Riesling from Austria is as complex and stylish as top examples from Germany, Alsace or Australia. The Austrians know that it only delivers outstanding wines when planted on dry, stony terraces that enhance exposure to precious sunlight.
Its heartland is the Danube valley west of Vienna. Some of those regions, such as Wagram, are better suited to Grüner Veltliner as their loess soils ideally suit the variety. But parts of Kamptal and Kremstal, and almost all of the Wachau, are brilliant territories for dry Riesling, sharing outcrops of weathered primary rock, including sandstone, schist and gneiss. The large Weinviertel region north of the Danube also has pockets that are good for Riesling, but few examples leave Austria.
The Austrian wine authorities have created an appellation system: DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus). It seeks to define the most typical wines for each region: for example, both Grüner Veltliner and Riesling can claim DAC status in Kamptal. The system matters little to wine lovers outside Austria, except to note that when the alcohol level is 13% or above, a grower can call the wine a Reserve. Some do, but others don’t bother. In the tasting notes that follow, some wines are technically Reserves but not identified as such.
The Wachau has its own system, introduced in 1983 by the growers’ association Vinea Wachau. Its three tiers reflect ripeness levels: Steinfeder is the most basic, Federspiel intermediary, then Smaragd, with a minimum alcohol of 12.5%. Thanks to global warming, Steinfeder is an endangered species, but Federspiel can be refreshing and delicious and is not necessarily an inferior product to a Smaragd, though the latter should offer the ripeness, structure and force to which a Federspiel doesn’t aspire.
Exacting standards
A recent innovation is the inclusion of the word Ried to designate a single vineyard. Many regions on the Danube are also part of the Erste Lage classification that seeks to identify the most revered vineyards. However, this is in effect a private club, so the classification has no legal standing. Such sites are not identified in the notes below.
The use of the term ‘minerality’ has come under fire in recent years. While vine roots may well be incapable of transporting mineral elements in the soil into grapes themselves, some wines do tempt one to invoke the term. I do so myself to characterise a blend of acidity, steeliness, perceptible grain and extract as well as other characteristics in contrast to simple fruitiness and opulence. Some wines marry the two. Nonetheless, the primary rock soils on which Austria’s best Rieslings are grown often convey a distinct mineral cut.
If much of the Wachau is ideal for Riesling, in Kamptal only a few sites are capable of producing outstanding versions, and these include Heiligenstein and Gaisberg. The Kremstal is slightly more complicated. Krems, and its westerly extension of Stein, abut the Wachau, and the steep, terraced sites behind the towns – such as Pfaffenberg – are perfect for Riesling. Further inland, away from the Danube’s moderating influence, is the Senftenberg area, decidedly hilly and rich in primary rock. The main producers here are Nigl and Proidl, and the wines tend to have more power, tension and longevity than those from the Krems area.
Winemaking standards in Austria are extremely high. Austrians are well-off and well educated, exacting wine lovers with little tolerance for mediocrity. Regrettably, many excellent producers have had to be omitted here, though their wines rival those recommended below.
Stephen Brook’s top 30 Austrian dry Riesling
See also:
Austria’s Wachau region awarded DAC status
Austrian Erste Lagen new releases: Top wines reviewed
German Grosses Gewächs 2020 releases: Top wines
FX Pichler, Ried Kellerberg, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
The nose marries apple, apricot and tropical fruit with an impressive stoniness. It’s powerful but not overbearing, its creaminess cut by an underlying minerality. Very...
2018
FX PichlerWachau
Emmerich Knoll, Ried Schütt, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Schütt is a relatively low alluvial fan, but it’s south-facing and has excellent drainage; Knoll never fails to make world-class wines here. This has a...
2018
Emmerich KnollWachau
Domäne Wachau, Ried Achleiten, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Few would dispute that the stony, terrace Achleiten in Weissenkirchen is one of the Wachau’s grands crus, and the Domäne Wachau co-op often makes an...
2018
Domäne WachauWachau
Gritsch, Mauritiushof Ried Kalkofen, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
Spitz village, at the western end of the Wachau region, is generally cooler than other areas – now seen as an advantage in an age...
2019
GritschWachau
Nigl, Ried Hochäcker Privat, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
From a cool site in Senftenberg on iron-rich schist. Scintillating nose, apricot and pear fruit, notes of wet stone. It’s ripe, bright and racy with...
2019
NiglKremstal
Franz Hirtzberger, Ried Steinporz, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Franz Hirtzberger is the most esteemed grower in Spitz, and his wines can be surprisingly voluptuous. Often Singerriedl is the source of his top Riesling,...
2018
Franz HirtzbergerWachau
Proidl, Generation X, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2017
As well as single-vineyard Rieslings, Proidl produces this blend from late-picked old vines; after brief skin contact, the must is fermented in tonneaux. The result...
2017
ProidlKremstal
Johann Donabaum, Ried Setzberg, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Although the Donabaum vineyards are in cool Spitz, the style is opulent, the nose exuberant with lush apricot and pears. The palate is unusually spicy...
2018
Johann DonabaumWachau
Alzinger, Ried Höhereck, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
Father and son, both Leo, produce some of the Wachau’s most stylish wines. This terraced site with gneiss soils is not as celebrated as Alzinger’s...
2019
AlzingerWachau
Allram, Ried Heiligenstein Reserve, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2017
Heiligenstein is a large and varied site, known for its primary rock soils, and it is far from uniform, which explains why so many Rieslings...
2017
AllramKamptal
Hiedler, Ried Gaisberg Reserve, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2017
Gaisberg, a site with gneiss as well as loess soils, is less renowned than Heiligenstein, but can produce exceptional Rieslings too. The nose is dense...
2017
HiedlerKamptal
Wieninger, Nussberg Ried Preussen, Wien, Austria, 2018
Fritz Wieninger excels with Rieslings grown on Vienna’s most celebrated site, the Nussberg. This biodynamic wine is still austere, restrained on the nose, with dried...
2018
Wieninger
Schloss Gobelsburg, Ried Heiligenstein Reserve, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Michael Moosbrugger, Gobelsburg’s director, has made this large monastic property the intellectual centre of the region, where he explores different styles of winemaking. His Heiligenstein...
2018
Schloss GobelsburgKamptal
Willi Bründlmayer, Ried Heiligenstein, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
From a cask sample, this Heiligenstein from the region’s best-known producer is still very primary. The nose is delicate, with apple and apricot aromas. The...
2019
Willi BründlmayerKamptal
Stadt Krems, Ried Schreck, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
For almost two decades, Fritz Miesbauer has elevated the quality of the wines from the city of Krems’ own vineyard holdings to a very high...
2019
Stadt KremsKremstal
Loimer, Ried Seeberg, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Fred Loimer is one of Austria’s most dynamic producers, offering a wide range of wines. Seeberg lies at 300m, its soils containing sand and silt...
2018
LoimerKamptal
Josef & Philipp Bründlmayer, Ried Moosburgerin Reserve, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Despite the loess and limestone in the soil of this small site in Gedersdorf, Kremstal, it can produce impressive Riesling. The nose is exceptionally lively:...
2018
Josef & Philipp BründlmayerKremstal
Malat, Ried Silberbichl Reserve, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Malat is an important estate across the Danube from Krems. Silberbichl, with its gravel, schist and loess soils, lies close to the Wachau. This has...
2018
MalatKremstal
Jurtschitsch, Ried Loiserberg Reserve, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
A new generation is fine-tuning the range at this long-established organic estate. High, windy Loiserberg is rocky with a fairly shallow layer of loess topsoil....
2018
JurtschitschKamptal
Salomon Undhof, Ried Pfaffenberg Reserve, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
The Salomon estate is in Stein, a small town that borders the Wachau region. Many of its vineyards are steep and on primary rock, giving...
2018
Salomon UndhofKremstal
Domäne Wachau, Terrassen Federspiel, Wachau, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
As well as an impressive range of smaragd wines from single vineyards, this outstanding cooperative produces a reliable mid-weight, entry-level blend from terraced sites that...
2019
Domäne WachauWachau
Birgit Eichinger, Ried Gaisberg Reserve, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Birgit Eichinger has run her family’s estate since 1992, and her wines are always reliable. This Gaisberg is a touch austere on the nose, but...
2018
Birgit EichingerKamptal
Josef & Philipp Bründlmayer, Kaiserstiege, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
This is not a single-vineyard wine, but an entry-level blend produced from terraced sites around the town of Gedersdorf. It’s aged on the lees to...
2019
Josef & Philipp BründlmayerKremstal
Nikolaihof, Ried Vom Stein, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2015
Nikolaihof is both highly traditional, ageing its wines in casks, and a passionate advocate of biodynamic farming. This wine, with its rich stone-fruit aromas,...
2015
NikolaihofWachau
Hirsch, Zöbing, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
Zöbing is the village where the Kamptal’s top Riesling site, the Heiligenstein, is located. This biodynamic entry-level village wine is admirable if not as powerful...
2019
HirschKamptal
Mantlerhof, Ried Zehetnerin, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
This historic estate makes a broad range of wines from its vineyards in Gedersdorf in Kremstal. Zehetnerin is low but sheltered, producing wines with ready...
2019
MantlerhofKremstal
Leindl, Ried Heiligenstein Reserve, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
Georg Leindl has only been vinifying his estate’s grapes since 2013, so he is a relative newcomer. The nose is decidedly pretty, delicate and citric....
2019
LeindlKamptal
Rainer Wess, Ried Pfaffenberg, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2018
Many of Rainer Wess’ best wines come from vineyards in the small town of Stein, and this Pfaffenberg is no exception. The nose is still...
2018
Rainer WessKremstal
Stift Göttweig, Ried Silberbichl Reserve, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2016
The great monastery of Stift Göttweig lies on the south side of the Danube, and its wines are produced by the same team responsible for...
2016
Stift GöttweigKremstal
Schloss Gobelsburg, Zöbing, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
This differs from Hirsch’s version of this village blend by showing more breadth and weight. The nose is a delight, with charming aromas of apricots,...
2019
Schloss GobelsburgKamptal
