wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

Since this series has existed for several years now, almost everything has been said about the individual regions, and many things have probably already been said several times. In the following, we will therefore focus more on the producers, their development and their wine style. Only producers who have presented wines in the last few months will be considered, so please forgive us if many well-known names are still missing. We will introduce other producers as well as we were able to taste their current wines.

Vienna

It is always amazing how good Viennese wines are, even from lesser-known producers. The famous Heurigen culture and the rather problem-free sales associated with it do not seem to have a negative effect at all on the quality of the wines, as they certainly do elsewhere when a large part of the production is served to tourists. The wines produced in the city are in most cases extremely drinkable, but this is not because they are superficial, superficially fruity, sweetish or banal. Quite the opposite. Like hardly any other wine region, Vienna manages the balancing act between early accessibility and character, uncomplicated drinking pleasure and finesse; even the basic wines often have class here. With the still young Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC, whose best representatives can be among the most remarkable white wines in the country, the area also has a valuable unique selling point.

Christ Winery

Leading winery in Vienna with high-class qualities even in the inexpensive basic wines. The mixed set from Bisamberg can turn out great, as can the red XII from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, regularly one of the two or three best red wines in Vienna. The current collection is also impeccable, although the white wines are usually a little sweet this year.

Hajszan Neumann Winery

The current wines of the biodynamic winery, which was taken over by Fritz Wieninger in 2014, are consistently quite powerful, yet have backbone and character. The outstanding wine today is the extremely complex, tightly woven and profound orange wine from the Gemischter Satz from the Weissleiten; this style is not everyone's cup of tea, but here someone knows how to do it.

Langes Winery

Still a young winery, which initially only processed purchased grapes, but now has four and a half hectares of its own vineyards. This year, for the first time, only a few wines were presented to us, so that it is still difficult to assess style and qualities, but a palatable young Veltliner and a convincing, somewhat sweet Riesling from the previous year give us hope.

Winzerhof Leopold

Winzerhof Leopold surprised us this year. Although the series presented to us also contains some simpler wines, we did not find any real weaknesses this year. On the other hand, some selection wines are very pleasing, especially Riesling and Welschriesling. But the reds are also well represented with the Cabernet-Merlot and the Blauburger, both from 2012.

Nössing Winery

Manuel Nössing has been running the tiny winery as his main business for only a few years. Since then, his qualities have steadily increased. Today, one finds an astonishing range of highly independent white wines full of character. Mischsatz, Grüner Veltliner, Chardonnay and Riesling succeed equally well here, sometimes even magnificently. Because of the small quantities, the wines are rarely found outside Vienna, but it is worth looking out for them.

Wieninger Winery

Fritz Wieninger has developed the now completely biodynamic winery into the flagship of Viennese viticulture since he started in the 1980s. Across all varieties and quality levels, the finest wines of the city are regularly produced here. The basic qualities often turn out irresistible even in early youth, while at the top, distinctly strong individualists of character emerge whose goodness you sometimes first have to drown yourself in. Especially the great Gemischten Sätze from Bisamberg, Nussberg and Rosengartl need a lot of time and attention if you want to experience them in all their glory. In addition, there are selection wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, St. Laurent and Merlot as well as red wine cuvées that regularly have to be counted among the best of their kind in all of Austria, a wide range of Veltlinier and, at the top, mostly first-class Riesling, which is, however, unusually strong and a little rustic with the 15 vintage.

All currently tasted Viennese wines:

White wines

Red wines

Sparkling wines

Carnuntum

Carnuntum is not only geographically situated on the border between Lower Austria and Burgenland, but also reflects the transition in terms of grape varieties and wine types. Grüner Veltliner and Zweigelt, the two most important grape varieties by far, almost balance each other out, with a slight advantage for Zweigelt; Carnuntum is also the only wine region in Lower Austria where red varieties already dominate. The identity-forming wine of the region par excellence, the "Rubin Carnuntum", is consequently also a red wine that may only be pressed from Zweigelt. The majority of white wines here are deliberately kept slender and drinkable and are predestined for quick and uncomplicated enjoyment. However, more expressive wines, which do not necessarily have to be drunk young, are also made from Chardonnay and Veltliner, and less frequently from Sauvignon, Pinot Blanc or Muscat. In the case of the reds, an early accessible, modern, soft and rather flattering style prevails, which can also be strong, warm in alcohol and spicy in wood. Firmer, more austere and long-lived reds can be found above all on the Spitzerberg, where, exceptionally, the Blaufränkisch is in charge, or among some successful Syrahs and Cabernets, but above all among some top cuvées, and more rarely among pure Zweigelt or Zweigelt-dominated blends.

Christian and Brigitte Edelmann

A time-honoured, yet modern winery with mostly very affordable wines of reliable, sometimes surprising quality. The 15s whites are consistently very carefully made and nice to drink, the red Cuvée Edelman already has a class that is anything but commonplace in its price region.

Winery Gottschuly Grassl

Quite typical Carnuntum red wines: strong and warm, often somewhat compote or marmalade-like and mostly with a tangible wood spice, but still clearly contoured and always with salty-mineral hints.

Jahner Winery

Modern winery that regularly attracts attention with very good, strong and often chocolaty-woody red wines typical of the region. The very reasonably priced basic wines are also reliably good.

Ernst Lager

Small winery with an attached wine tavern. The white wines here are priced consumer-friendly and always nice to drink. The reds are mostly strong and wood-spicy, as we are used to in the area, and also stay on the carpet in terms of price. Occasionally, one experiences real surprises here, such as the firm and quite complex 13 Cabernet "Bärenreiser". For just 13 euros, that is already a lot of wine.

Lukas Markowitsch Winery

A first-class winery that does not show any weaknesses and always comes up with some of the best red wines of the region. They are strong, as is typical for the region, but usually have more backbone, depth and bite than most of their colleagues, which allows them to mature well. Normally, the "Cuvée Lukas", as the flagship of the estate, also comes out on top in the tasting. In the 2013 vintage, however, it has to admit defeat to the Zweigelt Haidacker, one of the best wines we know from the grape variety. In addition to the prestige wines, there is also an extensive, very consumer-friendly basic range with pleasing qualities. Among the whites, even the selection wines are extremely affordable; the Chardonnay Rosenberg, for example, has hardly any competition in its price range - it costs less than 10 euros.

Christine and Franz Netzl

Old Göttlesbrunn winery that is one of the red wine pioneers in the area. The wines here are usually quite powerful and high in alcohol, sometimes even seeming a little over-zealous. They are rarely overly complex, but always very carefully made and generally hold up well.

Ott Winery

Traditional winery with modern, polished wines that are often good value for money. The basic wines are lean and drinkable, the higher qualities can also be more powerful. In the current series, the most striking is the tightly knit yet elegant Rubin Carnuntum, which can also compete with much more expensive wines of the region.

Hans Pitnauer

Top winery in Carnuntum, whose firm, often complex and evolving red wines clearly stand out from the mainstream of the area; even the Merlot here turns out tart and firm instead of flattering. The freshly tasted 13s red wines all have class; the 12s "Franz-Josef", tasted a second time, is only slowly showing what it can do and will have a long time to mature. Only the new "Bienenfresser" suffers a little from the difficulties of the 2014 vintage and therefore does not quite reach its usual level. But Pitnauers can do more than just red; the dry and noble sweet whites are just as consistently recommendable as the often astonishingly good sparkling wines.

All currently tasted wines from Carnuntum:

White wines

Red wines

Related Magazine Articles

View All
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS