Austrian dry Riesling: Expert's choice

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. [subscriber-content]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. [/subscriber-content] Stephen Brook's top 30 Austrian dry Riesling [wine-collection] See also: Austria’s Wachau region awarded DAC status Austrian Erste Lagen new releases: Top wines reviewed German Grosses Gewächs 2020 releases: Top wines

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Austrian dry Riesling: Expert’s choice

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

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