Ried Between the Vines

Sometimes, the best wine experiences come from happy accidents. This one started when Alessio showed up with a collection of somewhat rare Austrian bottles that made my eyes go wide. Here's the thing - I don't know much about Austrian wines. But when several people started asking about exploring this region more deeply, I thought, 'Why not turn my ignorance into a learning opportunity?'

So here we are. Six wines, three producers, one afternoon of discovery. And the best part? This tasting is 100% charity - every hryvnia collected goes straight to buying drone parts for our defenders. Wine for a cause, if you will.

What you'll taste today: two Morillons from Styria (that's Chardonnay with an Austrian passport), two Grüner Veltliners from Kamptal (including one from the legendary 2015 vintage), and two Blaufränkisch from Burgenland that span a decade. All from biodynamic producers who treat their vineyards like sacred ground. Expect minerals, expect precision, and expect to have your preconceptions about Austrian wines thoroughly scrambled.

Understanding the Austrian Ried System

Let me blow your mind with a number: Austria has over 5,000 officially demarcated single vineyards. They call them "Rieds," and if you see "Ried" on a label, you're drinking from a specific patch of earth with its own personality.

Think of it as a pyramid. At the bottom, you have Gebietswein (regional wines) - decent everyday stuff from broader areas. Move up to Ortswein (village wines), and things get more interesting - these come from specific villages. But at the top? That's where Riedenwein lives - single-vineyard wines that are supposed to taste like their specific plot of land.

This isn't some marketing gimmick. In 2023, Austria became the first country outside France to legally codify vineyard classifications. They're even planning to introduce "Erste Lage" (Premier Cru) and "Große Lage" (Grand Cru) designations in 2025. Basically, they looked at Burgundy and said, "We can do that, but make it more Germanic and precise."

The 1ÖTW Classification Explained

Here's where it gets properly geeky. See that "1ÖTW" on one of today's bottles? That stands for "Erste Lage Österreichische Traditionsweingüter" - try saying that three times fast after a few glasses.

This started as a private club in 1991 - 90 of Austria's most serious producers got together and decided to classify their best vineyards before the government got around to it. They now have 109 classified sites, and the requirements are brutal: hand-harvesting only, maximum 60 hectoliters per hectare yield (that's intentionally growing less fruit for more concentration), natural fermentation preferred, and you must be organic or biodynamic certified.

These wines can't even be released until September after harvest. It's like they're saying, "If you want to put 1ÖTW on your label, you better be serious about this terroir thing."

Vintage Analysis for Featured Years

Before we dive into specific bottles, let's talk about what Mother Nature was up to in these years:

2023 (Styria): After the challenging 2022, this vintage brought relief. Good water reserves from winter, moderate temperatures, and perfectly timed rainfall created ideal conditions for Morillon. The harvest was measured and calm, producing wines with beautiful balance and freshness.

2022 (Kamptal): A vintage of extremes that rewarded careful work. Drought stress and heat required meticulous vineyard management, but those who got it right produced concentrated wines with surprising freshness. The key was picking at exactly the right moment.

2021 (Styria and beyond): The vintage that made winemakers weep with joy. Late flowering dodged the frost, and then autumn showed up dressed to the nines with perfect weather. When winemakers get poetic about the weather, you know it's special.

2017 (Burgenland): Goldilocks weather for red wines - not too hot, not too cold, just right for getting those tannins silky smooth.

2015 (Kamptal): The vintage that wine collectors dream about. Consistent warmth without extreme heat created wines that are drinking beautifully now but will probably outlive us all.

2012 (Burgenland): May frost devastated yields, but what survived was concentrated and structured. These wines needed time, but twelve years later, they're singing.

Sattlerhof: Styrian Biodynamic Pioneers

Picture vineyards so steep they make your legs hurt just looking at them. Some of Sattlerhof's slopes exceed 100% gradient - that's steeper than a ski slope. The Sattler family has been wrestling with these vertigo-inducing vineyards since 1887.

The real revolution came in the 1970s when Wilhelm Sattler Sr. decided to make bone-dry whites when everyone else was adding sugar like it was going out of style. Today, brothers Andreas (winemaking) and Alex (vineyards) have gone full biodynamic, getting their Respekt-Biodyn certification in 2021.

Their philosophy? "Let the vineyard speak." Everything is hand-harvested (imagine picking grapes on a 45-degree slope), fermented with native yeasts, and handled with the kind of care usually reserved for newborns. They farm 35 hectares between 300-600 meters elevation, where ancient coral reefs have decomposed into the kind of complex soils that make wine geeks weak at the knees.

Morillon (Chardonnay in Styria)

Here's a fun fact: Styrians grew Chardonnay for decades without knowing it. They called it Morillon, thought it was a local variety, and nearly had a collective identity crisis when DNA testing in the 1980s revealed the truth.

The name probably came from Burgundy, where they used to call Chardonnay "Morillon Blanc" back in the day. But here's the thing - Styrian Morillon doesn't taste like Burgundy, and it definitely doesn't taste like California. It's its own creature, shaped by those ancient coral reef soils and the cool Alpine climate.

The best examples come from Opok soils - imagine rocky clay silt sitting on chalky marl, sometimes directly on 16-million-year-old fossilized coral reefs. The wines range from crisp and mineral (fermented in steel tanks) to profound and age-worthy (aged in large neutral oak). Think more limestone minerality, less buttery oak.

Sattlerhof Gamlitz Morillon 2023

This is your introduction to Styrian Morillon - a village-level wine from multiple parcels around Gamlitz, sitting pretty at 350-450 meters elevation. The soils here are like a geology textbook: crystalline quartz sands mixed with mica schist and limestone from those ancient coral reefs.

The 2023 vintage gave Sattlerhof exactly what they wanted: moderate conditions that let the terroir sing. The winemaking shows careful intention: hand-harvested grapes get a brief skin contact, then ferment with wild yeasts before ageing in oak barrels. This oak treatment is judicious - not about vanilla or toast, but about texture and subtle complexity. Partial malolactic fermentation adds creaminess without losing freshness. At 12.5% alcohol, this is Morillon that prioritizes elegance over power - the oak integrated so well you might miss it if you're not paying attention.

Weirdly, this feels younger than the 2023 Gamlitz Morillon. More salt, more white and green fruits bouncing around. Cream and spices on the nose, really pretty actually. Lemon zest cuts through. It's mineral, delicate, properly salty - like good Austrian Morillon should be. Better balanced than its younger sibling. Then there's this odd but cool thing at the end: touch of asphalt and sesame oil. Sounds weird, works brilliantly. Stylish stuff that actually delivers.

Sattlerhof Ried Kapellenweingarten Morillon 2021

Now we're climbing higher - 550 meters to be exact, making this Sattlerhof's highest vineyard. Kapellenweingarten means "chapel vineyard," named after six historical chapels that surround it. The soil here is different too - sandy gravel washed down from the Alps over millennia.

This wine got the royal treatment: fermented in large old oak barrels (300-500 litres) with native yeasts, then aged for up to 20 months. Falstaff gave it 94-96 points, and they only made 305 cases. This isn't just Chardonnay; it's alpine Chardonnay with the kind of mineral complexity that makes you reconsider everything you thought you knew about the grape.

Weirdly, this feels younger than the 2023 Gamlitz Morillon. More salt, more white and green fruits bouncing around. Cream and spices on the nose, really pretty actually. Lemon zest cuts through. It's mineral, delicate, properly salty - like good Austrian Morillon should be. Better balanced than its younger sibling. Then there's this odd but cool thing at the end: touch of asphalt and sesame oil. Sounds weird, works brilliantly. Stylish stuff that actually delivers.

Loimer: Kamptal Biodynamic Excellence

Fred Loimer is the kind of winemaker who makes other winemakers nervous. He took over his family's 7-hectare estate in 1997 and transformed it into an 85-hectare biodynamic showcase spread across 100 different parcels.

His winery looks like a black cube dropped from space - ultra-modern architecture sitting on top of 150-year-old hand-dug cellars. But don't let the modern exterior fool you; Loimer is deeply rooted in Rudolf Steiner's biodynamic principles. He co-founded the respekt-BIODYN organization, which has even stricter standards than EU organic requirements.

The estate works with seven different soil types, from loess to primary rock, with 75% of plantings dedicated to Austria's dynamic duo: Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Vine ages range from teenage to senior citizen (5-55 years), and everything is fermented with indigenous yeasts because, as Loimer says, "The yeast is part of the terroir."

Grüner Veltliner

Austria's signature grape is the love child of Savagnin (Traminer) and an obscure variety from Burgenland - a bit like finding out your national hero has unexpected parentage. But who cares about genealogy when the wine tastes this good?

Grüner Veltliner is chameleon-like, changing personality depending on where it grows. Plant it in loess soil, and you get depth and richness. Put it on limestone, and it goes all mineral and precise. The grape's party trick is a compound called rotundone - the same thing that makes black pepper peppery. That's why good Grüner often has that white pepper snap alongside citrus and stone fruit.

The regional differences are stark: Wachau makes powerhouse versions that age like white Burgundy; Kamptal balances richness with freshness; Weinviertel goes full pepper. The best examples from sites like Heiligenstein can age for decades, morphing from zesty youth into honeyed, complex maturity.

Loimer Ried Loiserberg 1ÖTW Grüner Veltliner 2022

This is Premier Cru Grüner Veltliner from a south-facing slope at 250-390 meters. The soil is mica-slate with clay - imagine sparkly rock that crumbles in your hand mixed with brown earth. Vines here range from youthful 10-year-olds to wise 55-year-old elders.

The challenging 2022 vintage required all of Loimer's biodynamic expertise. He split the fermentation: half in large oak casks (1,250-2,500 litres - big enough to swim in), and half in stainless steel. Ten months on the lees without sulfur additions created a wine that shows remarkable freshness despite the warm vintage. At 12.5% alcohol, it's got presence without weight - like a dancer who looks delicate but could probably bench press you.

Rich, concentrated nose - grapefruit, aged bai mu dan cake, acacia honey, white pepper, grapefruit oil. The texture is stupid good. Everything just works: balanced, complex, keeps revealing new layers. Green apricots pop up. Then this interesting bitter herb thing smeared across the palate. This is proper grown-up Grüner, the kind that makes you reconsider what the grape can do. Long, delicious, and honestly a bit haunting.

Loimer Langenlois Ried Käferberg Grüner Veltliner 2015

Käferberg is geological chaos in the best way: heavy loam fights with light sand while gravel plays referee, all sitting on amphibolite bedrock. The 2015 vintage was one for the ages. The kind that makes winemakers misty-eyed a decade later.

This wine got 12-24 hours of skin contact (unusual for Grüner), then fermented spontaneously in used oak at temperatures that never exceeded 24°C. Six months on the lees, 13% alcohol, and nearly a decade of bottle age have transformed this from a "reserved and mystical" youth into something profound. This is Grüner Veltliner showing what it can do with time, less about primary fruit, and more about mineral complexity and layers of flavour that unfold like a good novel.

Rich, concentrated nose - grapefruit, aged bai mu dan cake, acacia honey, white pepper, grapefruit oil. The texture is stupid good. Everything just works: balanced, complex, keeps revealing new layers. Green apricots pop up. Then this interesting bitter herb thing smeared across the palate. This is proper grown-up Grüner, the kind that makes you reconsider what the grape can do. Long, delicious, and honestly a bit haunting.

Weninger: Cross-Border Blaufränkisch Masters

The Weninger family doesn't believe in borders. They've been making wine since 1828, and today Franz Weninger Jr. runs operations on both sides of the Austria-Hungary border - 42 hectares total, with vineyards you can walk between countries.

Converting to biodynamic in 2006, they achieved Demeter certification in Austria and Respekt certification in Hungary. Their philosophy is "less is more" taken to extremes: spontaneous fermentation, no fining or filtration, minimal sulfur, and ageing in everything from concrete eggs to terracotta amphorae to large neutral oak. They even use solar panels and natural cooling because why not save the planet while making wine?

The focus is on Blaufränkisch and Furmint, varieties that belong to this borderland region. With 180,000 bottles annually, they're big enough to matter but small enough to obsess over every detail.

Blaufränkisch

Blaufränkisch is Austria's answer to Pinot Noir - if Pinot Noir went to the gym and got really into mineral supplements. A genetic cross between varieties you've never heard of (Sbulzina and Weißer Heunisch), it goes by Kékfrankos in Hungary and, inexplicably, Lemberger in Germany.

This grape is a terroir translator par excellence. Plant it on limestone, and it goes all austere and smoky. Put it on a schist, and it gets mineral and elegant. Heavy loam? Now you're talking power and structure. In Eisenberg, they swear by iron-rich soils for added complexity.

Mittelburgenland (literally "Blaufränkischland") produces the structured, powerful versions. Eisenberg makes them elegant and mineral-driven. Modern winemaking has moved away from the extracted monsters of the past toward earlier picking and gentler handling. The result? Wines that can age 10+ years, evolving from bright berry fruit to complex notes of forest floor, herbs, and that distinctive mineral character that makes Blaufränkisch unmistakable.

Weninger Ried Kirchholz Blaufränkisch 2017

Kirchholz sits in Horitschon, right next to the famous Hochäcker vineyard, on a west-east ridge that catches both morning sun and evening breezes. At up to 300 meters elevation on the western shores of Lake Neusiedl, this is a classic Mittelburgenland terroir.

The soils read like a recipe for complexity: leamy clay mixed with sandy gravel about half a meter deep, sitting on clay-loam subsoil shot through with schist and slate. Scientists call it Gleyic Cambisol, and wine lovers call it perfect for Blaufränkisch.

The vines here date from the 1970s, with some sections from the 1930s still producing. Fermentation happens spontaneously in open vessels with 10-14 days of skin contact, then 18-24 months of ageing in 500-litre used oak barrels. At 12.5% alcohol, this is concentrated old-vine Blaufränkisch with the kind of vibrant tannins that grab your palate and don't let go.

Conifer notes straight up, then blueberry, mulberry, blackberry, flowers. Sicilian orange and grilled chicken thigh, spices, plum, smoke, forest floor. The balance is stupid good - still fresh after 13 years! Juicy as hell. The tannins are still a touch aggressive but beautifully integrated, almost sweet now. Broad, round texture with subtle wood that knows its place. Soft and sappy but bright and deep. Pure pleasure. Reminded me of aged Dario Prinčič on first sniff, which is... unexpected and fun.

Weninger Kalkofen Blaufränkisch 2012

Kalkofen means "lime kiln," and this vineyard in Ritzing earns its name. It's Weninger's westernmost site in Mittelburgenland, climbing to 360 meters with so much limestone in the soil you'd think someone was trying to make cement.

This south-facing slope sits on Rendzic Leptosol - basically pure limestone rubble from historical quicklime production mixed with calcareous debris from 15-million-year-old marine deposits. It's the estate's coolest site, which in the warm 2012 vintage was a blessing.

After two weeks of skin contact and 20 months in 500-litre neutral oak, the wine clocks in at 13.2% alcohol with the kind of chalky, grippy tannins that only limestone can provide. Twelve years in bottle have mellowed the initial austerity into something hauntingly beautiful - bright berry fruit wrapped in mineral complexity.

Conifer notes straight up, then blueberry, mulberry, blackberry, flowers. Sicilian orange and grilled chicken thigh, spices, plum, smoke, forest floor. The balance is stupid good - still fresh after 13 years! Juicy as hell. The tannins are still a touch aggressive but beautifully integrated, almost sweet now. Broad, round texture with subtle wood that knows its place. Soft and sappy but bright and deep. Pure pleasure. Reminded me of aged Dario Prinčič on first sniff, which is... unexpected and fun.

Resources and References

Official Austrian Wine Organizations

• Austrian Wine Marketing Board - austrianwine.com
  • Grape variety profiles, vintage reports, and regional information
  • Official vineyard classification system documentation
• Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (ÖTW) - traditionsweingueter.at
  • 1ÖTW classification system and member information
  • Erste Lage vineyard criteria and maps

Producer Websites

• Sattlerhof - sattlerhof.at
  • Estate history and biodynamic practices
  • Vineyard site details and technical specifications
• Loimer - loimer.at
  • Biodynamic philosophy and vineyard information
  • Ried Käferberg and Loiserberg technical data
• Weninger - weninger.com
  • Cross-border operations and site-specific information
  • Kirchholz and Kalkofen vineyard details

Wine Industry Publications

• Wine Enthusiast Magazine - wineenthusiast.com
  • "The Origins of Morillon, Styria's Signature Grape" (2023)
  • Austrian vineyard classification system coverage
• Jancis Robinson - jancisrobinson.com
  • Austrian vintage charts and producer profiles
  • Vineyard classification analysis
• Wine Spectator - winespectator.com
  • Burgenland Blaufränkisch regional coverage
• James Suckling - jamessuckling.com
  • Austrian vintage reports and top Blaufränkisch selections

Specialist Importers & Wine Merchants

• Liberty Wines UK - libertywines.co.uk
  • Detailed producer profiles for Sattlerhof and Loimer
• Williams Corner Wine - williamscorner.com
  • Weninger estate information and vineyard details
• Skurnik Wines & Spirits - skurnik.com
  • 2021 Austrian vintage report

Additional Resources

• Respekt-BIODYN - Information on Austria's biodynamic certification standards
• Falstaff Magazine - falstaff.com - Austrian wine ratings and reviews
• The Real Review - therealreview.com - Austrian vineyard classification coverage
• Wine-Searcher - wine-searcher.com - Specific wine availability and vintage information

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