Falling in love with the Austrian landscapes and fabulous Riesling`s and Grüner Veltriner`s.
A couple of weeks ago, my family and I decided to take a quick trip to Austria. As I love biking, I suggested visiting the vineyards of Wachau to do some tastings and discover the region.
We took a day trip with Viena Explorer. And it was fantastic. We headed to the primary office around 9 am, and then we took a train to Krems, a very charming town, very traditional Austrian, right next to the Wachau Valley.
It was such a warm day, but we were all very energetic and excited to see the views of the valley, and off we went.
After a couple of kilometers of biking, our first stop was the famous Domäne Wachau, known initially as Freie Weingärtner Wachau, a cooperative mainly focused on producing wines from a single vineyard.
The Domaine works with 250 grape growers who plant their vines on 450 hectares producing around 3 million bottles. And I must say it is one of the most extraordinary places my eyes have ever seen.
The winery's entrance, the views of the vineyard, terraces, the Danube river on the side, and the hills covered in green were magnificent.
Our fantastic tour guide gave us a brief explanation about the wine region, a bit before entering the Domain to do the tastings.
It was paradise! The main shop was beautiful! Super lovely and elegant design, covered in wood ceilings, with plenty of racks and wine bottles ready to sell. On the walls, stone soils were hanging as decoration. But also to show the difference between the valley soils, their complexity, and the impact on the wine. (The famous unique terroir of the region).
As soon as we entered, a super young lady was already waiting for us to do the tasting.
Our first wine was "Steinfeder 2021GNEIS + LÖSS 2021," a very crispy and delicious Grüner Veltliner from the Domaine's terraces. The wine's grapes were hand-harvested. The wine expressed the typical style of Grüner Veltliner. Its region's unique microclimate and primary-rock soils expel a powerful minerality.
The next wine was a Riesling. Federspiel Ried 1000- Eimer- Berg 2021. (Personally, my favorite). That comes from a higher elevation in the Wachau village of Spitz. In this area, steep stone terraces from the paleozoic genesis are found in the southeast. As a result, it obtains a more pleasant, cooler air circulation, giving birth to wines with more elegance and particular crispiness and acidity with lovely aromas of stone- fruit.
The last wine we tried was a Neuburger Federspiel- 2021 Spritzer Graben. A single-vineyard wine called "Spitzer Graben," produced by a rare grape variety " Neuburger." A more complex wine with aromas of crushed red apples and hints of citrus, blossom, and almonds, an excellent and elegant dry white wine.
During the tasting, she explained the quality hierarchy of the Wachau, which is based on the ripeness found at harvest.
Starting with Steinfeder at the lowest level - easy wines and refreshing ready-to-drink, followed by the Smargad, a name received on a green lizard found on the dry stone walls of the terraces. This second category has the highest vineyards, producing wines with higher alcohol levels. (Usually around 13% to 14.5%).
And the third category is Federspiel wines, which are mainly blended under the "Therrasen brand." These are excellent wines with fantastic freshness and moderate ability to age.
(Sadly, the Steinfeder classification has disappeared due to global warming, and the Domain relies now on the third Category Federspiel)
After the tasting, we took the bikes and continued our journey to the next town, where we had lunch and discovered a little about the local shops and culture. It was like being in a Disneyland movie. The place was beautiful and so full of detail.
The second winery we visited was Weingut Hermenegild, a family business with the most personalized attention. The location was exquisite; green gardens with pink roses surrounded the house, with views of the vineyards in the back. We sat at wooden picnic tables, and there we tried three wines.
The environment was so friendly and familiar, with kids playing and plenty of people eating and drinking. It felt as if you were going to some friend's house.
The first wine we tried there, was rosè frizzante (sparkling), named "Rosecco". I didn't know this Austrian rosé existed, and it surprised me. It was so fresh, floral, lightly fizzy, and pleasant, perfect for a gathering in this warm summer.
Then we tried another Güner Veltliner, Ried Vorderseiber Federspiel, with notes of green apple, lemon, and a slightly herbal touch, a mineral wine light pale lemon color and high in acidity.
Lastly, we tried a Riesling Wachau DAC Smaragd Lichtensteinerin 2020. It was delicious, with notes of green apples, grapefruit, orange peel, citrus, and pale gold, with a long bitter finish.
After this fabulous day, we headed back to the main town to give the bikes back. We all had a happy face of living, experiencing breathing the Wachau Valley in its most prominent expression, tasting their wines, riding their roads, and getting to know the territory of some of the most high-quality white wines in the world.
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