But it is not only the vintages that are responsible for this situation. More and more winegrowers in the Wachau seem to be saying goodbye to the highly ripe, opulent style, which for a long time was almost without alternative in the Smaragden and other great single vineyards, but also caused many a wine lover to turn away from the region. We can only advise them - as well as all other friends of first-class white wines - to get more involved with this legendary wine region again. We, at least, have been thrilled by quite a few of the 160 or so wines we have been able to taste from the Wachau in recent months.
We concentrated our tasting on the two main varieties Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. Among our personal favourites are not only the highly rated, usually stronger prestige wines, but also several "Federspiele" and other lighter wines, which often have an unmistakable character in the Wachau and should not be missing in our cellar. As always, at the end of the lists you will find links to all the wines tasted with detailed tasting notes as well as their producers.