Winemaker Notes
The classical expression of Austrian culture of wine – a perfect food companion for every day paired with an easy drinkability.
In order to be a representative of the whole Danube appellation Kamptal, vineyards and grapes from the lower part of the valley, as well as grapes from the upper and higher altitude part of valley are used. The grapes from the lower part bring the maturity, whereas grapes from the upper part of the valley brings us the freshness in this wine. The ‘classical’ Kamptal wine is low in alcohol (11.5 – 12.5%) and has a pleasant but not obtrusive aroma and fruit character and therefore is a perfect food companion.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This well-structured and crisp gruner veltliner shows plenty of green bell-pepper, green-bean and green-pepper character. A little short, but lots of character and very good balance. Drink now. Screw cap.
Fun to say and delightfully easy to drink, Grüner Veltliner calls Austria its homeland. While some easily quaffable Grüners come in a one-liter—a convenient size—many high caliber single vineyard bottlings can benefit from cellar aging. Somm Secret—About 75% of the world’s Grüner Veltliner comes from Austria but the variety is gaining ground in other countries, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United States.
Climbing north and slightly east of the Kremstal region, Kamptal has very little vineyard area bordering the Danube River (unlike Wachau and Kremstal, whose vineyards run along it). The region takes its name from the river called Kamp, which traverses it north and south. Kamptal’s densely planted vineyards represent eight percent of Austria’s total.
The area experiences wide diurnal temperature variations like the Wachau but with less rain and more frost. Its vast geologic diversity makes it suitable for various experimentations with other varieties besides Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, St. Laurent and Zweigelt.
But the region is probably most noted for the beautiful and expansive terraced Heiligenstein, arguably one of the world’s top Riesling sites, as well as some of Austria’s most extraordinary Grüner Veltliner vineyards. Kamptal’s soils, which are mostly loess and sand with some gravel and rocks, make it suitable for Grüner Veltliner, so much so that actually half of the zone is planted to that grape.