Austria

Kamptal takes its name from the Kamp River, which flows through this Austrian winegrowing area before joining the Danube. GRÜNER by Etz presents the region’s signature Grüner Veltliner grape in a one-liter bottle, with the 2025 vintage clearly anchoring this release.

Berger is based in Gedersdorf, in the eastern Kremstal, where steep loess terraces shape the landscape. This 2025 Grüner Veltliner comes from estate-grown fruit across several vineyards, with soils that include loess, gravel and marl. The wine is fermented and matured in stainless steel. Erich Berger’s cellar approach uses cultured yeasts and slow, temperature-controlled fermentations, while the vineyards are farmed sustainably.

Pretty aromas of star fruit, pink grapefruit, sage and basil on the nose of this medium-bodied, expressive white. Attractive herbal undertones to the juicy citrus and subtle tropical fruit. From young vines in the mountainside vineyards and riper grapes from vineyards near the river. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap. (CN)

Set along the Traisen River in Lower Austria, Traisental is one of Austria’s smallest winegrowing regions. Weinkultur Preiss’s 2021 Ried Rosengarten highlights a named site within this area: “Ried” is the Austrian designation used to identify an individual vineyard, here Rosengarten.

Delightful grapefruit, lime blossom and white peach aromas in this juicy white. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and exuberant, leading to a dry, zesty and pristine finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold. Screw cap. (CN)

Bernhard Ott is based in Feuersbrunn in Austria’s Wagram, an area of rolling loess-rich vineyards along the Danube. The estate is closely identified with Grüner Veltliner and biodynamic farming, giving useful context to this 2025 “Amberg” bottling and its place within Ott’s focused Wagram portfolio.

The 2022 Riesling Heiligenstein is from core parcels of the site, where cool Waldviertel air meets the warm Pannonian influence. This 2022 vintage is the first where the Lyra- and Guyot-trained vines were co-harvested and co-fermented. The nose has a subtle note of cypress, with a touch of smokiness and a suspicion of green citrus peel. The palate adds a riper notion of juicy white peach, but remains framed with tingling citrus. Both elements together result in immense juiciness, showing a svelte exuberance that, for now, skips over stony minerality, which will take time to reveal itself. This is beautiful, taut, long and serene. (Bone-dry)(AK)

What an amazing array of stone- and exotic-fruit aromas, also jasmine and wild herbs. Tremendous concentration and elegance on the medium- to full-bodied palate. An extremely long and refined finish with a touch of salty character alongside the wet-stone minerality. Drink or hold.

The 2025 Grüner Veltliner Dürnstein Federspiel comes from alluvial soils along the river between the Danube and the foothills. Fern and moss blend with gentle citrus on the fragrant nose. The palate is bright, vivid and wonderfully alive, bursting with pepper and citrus-driven verve.(AK)

The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Steinertal Smaragd, situated between two lateral valleys that channel cool air, gives this terraced site of gneiss higher day-to-night amplitude and lower daytime temperatures. Gentle spice brings white pepper and crushed fern on the nose. The palate arrives with perfect tension, peppery fern, fine citrus freshness and beautiful concentration. Citrus is key this year on this wonderfully long and incisive Grüner. (AK)

This entry-level blaufrankisch has a stunning depth of black-cherry fruit plus a breathtaking vitality on the medium-bodied palate. Fantastic precision in the long, fresh and mineral finish. From young vines (up to 25 years) in St. Margarethen plus amounts from Donnerskirchen and Mullendorf. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. (SP)

Wine Enthusiast describes this Zalto Denk'Art Collection luxury stemware as "a new generation of mouth-blown, lead-free and dishwasher-safe wine glasses... From the first touch, each Zalto glass distinguishes itself from all other glasses. This is glassware that stands at the rarefied point where form meets function. This is art." Appreciated by winemakers and wine enthusiasts alike, Zalto's glasses now enjoy cult status in the world of wine, even receiving the "Unimprovable Award" by the Wall Street Journal as one of six products that could not be improved. The Zalto Denk'Art White Wine Glass is recommended for classical fruit-forward white wines, but also medium bodied red wines without overt barrique development. Dimensions: 9" height, 13 1/2 oz capacity.

Crushed stones, grapefruit and nectarines on the nose, plus a hint of celery. It’s cool, fresh and crunchy with a medium body and a bright finish. Drink now. Screw cap. (CN)

Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur combines juice from the seasonal harvest of Austria's famed Klosterneuberger apricots with an eau-de-vie produced from this same fruit. Destillerie Purkhart selects its apricots each season from family orchards in the Danube Valley and surrounding regions. Ideal for perfecting so many classic cocktails. Try the Golden Dawn Cocktail: 2/3 oz. Dry Gin, 2/3 oz. Orchard Apricot Liqueur, 2/3 oz Calvados, 2/3 oz. Cointreau, 1 dash Grenadine.

Both creamy and fresh, this has chopped stone fruit, grapefruit and crushed stone aromas. It's medium-bodied with plenty of texture. Dry, pithy and minerally at the end. Drink now or hold. (CN)

A smoky, dense version, with a bone-dry profile that leads with flint, smoke and petrol overlaying quince, pear, sweet fennel seed and snap pea. Verbena and lentil notes add earthiness. There’s a liberal dusting of fleur de sel on the precise finish, which rings with mineral intensity. Drink now through 2032. (KB)

Loibenberg’s steep, south-facing terraces overlook the Danube in Austria’s Wachau. Alzinger’s 2025 white from this vineyard carries the Smaragd designation, a category in the Wachau’s traditional classification system reserved for dry wines with an alcohol content of at least 12.5%.

The 2025 Grüner Veltliner is the entry-level wine at Schloss Gobelsburg, made from estate-grown and bought-in fruit. Juicy Conference pear on the nose sets the tone for freshness and ease. Light, slender and sprightly, the palate delivers a whole load of delicious white pepper at its core. Wonderful, old-school and cool in every sense of the word.(AK)

So much finesse and freshness to this, showing sliced apples, lemons, white grapefruit, wildflower honey and thyme on the nose, followed by a very stony, minerally, medium-bodied palate. It’s pristine and mouthwateringly fresh, walking a tightrope of concentration and lightness. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. (CN)

What a beautiful, delicate peachy nose! On the palate there's a grace and elegance that's rare in this category. A long, very mineral and clean finish. Drink or hold – this would go at least another decade in the bottle. Screw cap.

Equipped with an artist's label, the intensely yellow-colored 2021 Grüner Veltliner Ried Spiegel 1ÖTW Vincent (Edition Rudolf Polanszky) opens with a rich yet pure and elegant bouquet of buttercups and a sea of salts spiced with herbs. This sunny but high-elevation and late-ripening cru was picked at the end of October and promises a very fine and complex wine. The palate is rich and elegant yet also weightless, seamless, though full-bodied and tight as well as saline and tannic on the finish. This is warming but also pure, saline, finessed and tensioned Veltliner was aged in oak, and its almost weightless complexity and aging potential is that of a Burgundy cru. However, the wine is too tight and herbal and, later on, too charming and too fruity to be mistaken for a Burgundy, but in terms of structure, finesse and mouthfeel, we are quite near. This Spiegel has this kind of mystery that makes us ask: Will it ever deliver, in 10 or 20 years? Stone me if he can't do it. This is an impressive, unique and un-Austrian style of Grüner Veltliner that will make its way. 13.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork.(SR)

This has incredibly beautiful, exotic-fruit aromas. Although full-bodied, it also has a remarkable freshness that keeps it very concentrated, straight and precise. Then comes the extremely long and intense salty finish with great dried-herb complexity. Drinkable now but best from 2026.

The 2013 Aus den Gärten Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Late Bottled was filled in April last year, so 10 years later than the regular bottling. The wine is clear, intense and fresh on the deep and savory, mineral-scented nose that reveals subtle fruit with lots of salt and a still fresh or ageless, in any case not primary, fruity bouquet. Dense and textured on the palate, this is a medium to full-bodied, round, lush and refined, dense and sustainable Veltliner with a spectacular finish that is still tight and grippy, with distinctive tannins. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Archive Release 2024. Tasted in January 2025.(SR)

Rothman & Winter's Crème De Violette Liqueur is one of the great mixing agents now available. All you need is a little gin and a lemon, and you've got a delicious and sophisticated cocktail. Elegant in its simplicity, this authentic alpine liqueur captures the fragrance, vibrant colors, and taste of the native wildflowers found in the Alps - the Queen Charlotte and March violets. Use it in classic cocktails such as the Blue Moon or Aviation, or enjoy as an ingredient in continental cuisine.

Weingut Hirsch is based in Kammern, in Austria’s Kamptal, a wine region named for the Kamp River. The family estate is recognized for biodynamic viticulture. Hirschvergnügen is its 2024 Grüner Veltliner, linking Austria’s most widely planted white grape with one of Lower Austria’s established winegrowing areas.

The 2024 Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg Kamptal Riesling is coolish, precise and spicy on the terroir-driven nose. Unmistakably Kamptal Riesling, it has bright and juicy fruit, delicate spice and irresistible charm. On the palate, it is initially youthful and racy, then turns elegantly juicy, savory and delicately bitter, and it has textured length with fine, almost peppery tannins. This is an authentic, saline and classy Riesling for little money. 12.5% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure. Tasted in April 2025.(SR)

The 2024 Riesling Dürnsteiner Federspiel comes from sites across Dürnstein, all along the foot of the mountains with many terraced sites. The nose is restrained, offering soothing, subtle tangerine and crushed citrus leaf that gain stature with air. Scented is the term that is most apt. The palate is beautifully citric, light, linear and again scented. This is a picture of elegance with subtle concentration and a mouthwatering finish.(AK)

The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Ried Zwerithaler Kammergut Smaragd comes from vines planted in 1907, chiefly Grüner Veltliner with smaller proportions of Gouais Blanc and other historic varieties, across nine terraces facing southeast and shaded in the afternoon. The woodland scent of woodruff charms the nose alongside citric and green apple freshness. Citrus fresh, totally fluid and superbly smooth, it is absolutely concentrated but without an ounce of fat, just serene gentleness paired with springlike freshness. A remarkable wine of gentlest smoothness and calming quietude. (AK)

Alte Kultur is Christoph Donabaum’s Grüner Veltliner Smaragd from the Wachau. He works alongside his parents on steep vineyard terraces, with family holdings that include Zornberg, Setzberg, Offenberg and the 1000-Eimerberg. The family’s farming emphasizes hand harvesting, vegetation between the vines and manual mowing. For the 2022 Alte Kultur, Falstaff’s technical listing records three months in large wooden casks and three months in stainless steel.

Rudi Pichler’s family has cultivated vines in Wösendorf in Austria’s Wachau since 1731. This 2024 Grüner Veltliner carries the region’s traditional Federspiel designation, a category for dry Wachau wines with alcohol between 11.5% and 12.5% by volume.

This is an elegant and refreshing white, creamy and textured at the same time, with a medium to full body, mouthwatering acidity and citrusy and minerally coolness throughout. Brimming with grapefruit, fresh herbs, lemons, wet stones and peaches. Very long, with a touch of crushed rock and green tea at the end. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. (CN)

The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Loibenberg Smaragd comes from a parcel of loess atop gneiss bedrock in the midslope of the south-facing site. The nose is shy, showing just a hint of savory yeast. With more air, a touch of fern emerges. The palate offers almost a Riesling-like lightness, with direction and verve that belie the loess. There is lovely balance, slight savor and exquisite tension.(AK)

The impressive interplay of restrained richness and very animating mineral acidity is what gives this excellent gruner veltliner its pronounced personality. Long, wild herb finish that’s simultaneously compact and refreshing. A cuvee of about half vineyards on the plain and half young vines on the steep, terraced vineyards of the region. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Another stunning Steiner Hund dry riesling from Nikolaihof! Deep and complex nose with a ton of flint, but also crushed-rock, quince and pomelo aromas. For the very warm vintage this is astonishingly cool and restrained, with beautiful wet-stone minerality intertwined with the elegant acidity. Very long, silky finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.

I wonder how much of the Stiegl that we buy for our stock at K&L is sold to the staff. If I were to guess, I would say over 50%. These tall boys are perfect after a long day, and do an exceptional job of washing away the tannin after tasting to many overblown red wines. The style is Germanic; clean, lively, refreshing and the execution precise. If you love a good lager, and like having 4 oz. left after 12 have been enjoyed, this is the beer for you!

The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Dürnstein is picked in sites across the plain along the Danube and was made in stainless steel only. Moss and creamy aloe vera are very tender on the nose. The palate is light, fluid and smooth on a slender body, with just a touch of white pepper and yeast on its creamy mid-palate.(AK)

Prieler is based in Schützen am Gebirge, near Lake Neusiedl in Austria’s Burgenland. Its 2023 Johanneshöhe highlights Blaufränkisch, a red grape closely associated with this eastern Austrian wine region. Burgenland borders Hungary, where the same variety is known as Kékfrankos—a useful connection between the two countries’ wine traditions.

The 2024 Riesling Ried Klaus Smaragd, from a site chiefly composed of dark amphibolite, is all wet stone with a vestige of flint, but otherwise shy. The palate is equally slow to reveal itself in its stony demeanor, yet unfolds into a bright, ripe lemon tone of exquisite purity and poise, seemingly emanating from the dark stone. Somehow naked, yet absolutely disarming in its unadorned, stony state. (AK)

Hannes Schuster leads the family estate in Burgenland, focusing on regional varieties and vineyards around St. Margarethen and Zagersdorf. This 2024 red is made from Sankt Laurent, an Austrian grape traditionally named for St. Lawrence’s Day, August 10, when its berries were historically observed beginning to change color.

The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Fass 4 is a brand that has existed since 1988 and is partly what made Bernhard Ott's name. It is harvested in the Hengstberg site, which straddles the regions of Kamptal and Wagram. Subtle yeast shows the verve of reduction, but also a salty, herbal tang typical of Grüner Veltliner. The palate continues with that herbal edge, bringing crushed yarrow and something slightly more peppery that smooths into the yeasty yet slender texture. Tender saltiness makes for a long finish on this slender, smooth wine.(AK)

The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Ried Lamm was harvested on the eastern slope bordering the Heiligenstien on loess on top of sandstone, fermented and aged in 300-liter barrels with yeast stirring. Smoke and hazelnut on the nose point to oak and reduction in equal measure. Underneath that, some herbal savor shines through. The palate comes in with pristine acidity, edged with stone-fruit ripeness and a smooth, fluid mouthfeel. The yeasty texture is a backdrop for this rounded yet immensely contoured wine that represents freshness, understatement and length. (Bone-dry)(AK)

The 2024 Riesling Steinertal tantalizes with notes of bergamot and tangerine, offering tangy brightness. These scented citrus impressions have staying power on the palate, brightening and tightening everything. Taut, long, precise, linear and so aromatic. A wonderful wine, svelte but energetic.(AK)

This texturally complex dry white is like an archetype of Wachau dry riesling and gives you a good idea how top wines of a century ago would have tasted. Beautiful ripe-peach aroma and a terrific balance of ripeness, fine tannins and silky acidity. Very long, impeccably balanced finish. The grapes were pressed using a 350-year-old press. Matured in large neutral oak, then bottled in 2020. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.

This medium- to full-bodied, structured white has firm layers and almost savory aromas of ripe stone fruit, pomelo rind, tea leaves, tobacco, red apples and almond skin. Lots of bite and tannic tension that carries through to a long finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. (CN)

From the site Im Weingebirge, fermented in stainless steel, aged in a large oak cask and bottled in April last year, the 2008 Riesling Vinothek is clear and deep on the initially somewhat untamed and gamey as well as flor-inflected and slightly oaky nose that nevertheless indicates very clear and healthy, elegant and concentrated fruit with flinty notes, and it gains clarity and complexity with air. Aeration is highly recommended here and gives way to ginger notes and detailed terroir notes representing the amphibolite, loess and paragneiss of the soil. On the palate, this is a concentrated, fresh and elegant, tightly structured and refreshing mineral Riesling whose grip is still firm and biting (12 milligrams per liter of free sulfur dioxide). This is still a discreet wine that is to be handled with care and a carafe. I kept the bottle for five days to taste the wine again since the first impression represented caged potential rather than revelation. The second tasting showed a little bit more open and finessed, pure, fresh and saline yet still not singing. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in January 2025. 2008 was not an easy vintage on the Danube. The mild winter was followed by an early budbreak. Flowering from mid-June was delayed, and the entire vegetation period was characterized by heavy rainfall. The summer hardly took place and led to a damp, cool fall. The wines of the vintage tend to be lighter and characterized by a lively acidity structure.(SR)

The Wachau’s vineyards line the Danube in Lower Austria, with Dürnstein among the region’s historic winegrowing towns. Alzinger’s 2025 Dürnsteiner Riesling bears the traditional Federspiel designation, reserved for dry Wachau wines with alcohol levels between 11.5% and 12.5%.

Wagram’s deep deposits of windblown loess are a defining feature of this Austrian winegrowing region. Based in Feuersbrunn, Bernhard Ott focuses on Grüner Veltliner, with the 2020 Ried Spiegel highlighting an individual vineyard rather than a broader regional blend. On Austrian wine labels, “Ried” denotes a named vineyard site.

Oranges, honeycomb, ripe peaches and apple blossoms on the nose of this fragrant and delightful white. It's full-bodied, brimming with juicy fruit and wildflower honey flavors, while still exhibiting stony freshness. So inviting. Drink or hold. (CN)