Winemaker Notes
The Rosenberg vineyard is the crown jewel and the top vineyard for Bernhard. The vineyards are in a sort of amphitheater which is open to the south but protects the vines from the wind (high elevation here, from 280-320 meters above sea level). Here we find the deepest, calcareous loess soils, up to 20 meters deep and the oldest vines, some of which were planted in 1956. This is the inspiration for Bernhard’s life’s work. The Rosenberg is recently RESPEKT – biodynamic certified.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From 65+-year-old vines and aged in a large Stockinger oak vat, the 2020 Ried Rosenberg 1ÖTW Feuersbrunn Grüner Veltliner is pure, refined, saline and beautifully calcareous on the nose. Full-bodied, intense and dense on the palate, this is a rich, tight and powerful Veltliner with a long, refined, saline and stimulating grippy and complex finish. A gorgeous Veltliner from really old vines.
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James Suckling
A unique gruner veltliner with aromas of candied orange, tarragon and roses. Very deep and concentrated, without being in the least dramatic, much less demonstrative. Like a hang glider, this defies gravity and sails out into the distance, carrying you with it. From biodynamically grown grapes with Respekt certification. Drink or hold.
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.
Appreciated for superior wines made from indigenous varieties, Austria should be on the radar of any curious wine drinker. A rather cool and dry wine growing region, this country produces wine that is quintessentially European in style: food-friendly with racy acidity, moderate alcohol and fresh fruit flavors.
Austria’s viticultural history is rich and vast, dating back to Celtic tribes with first written record of winemaking starting with the Romans. But the 20th century brought Austria a series of winemaking obstacles, namely the plunder of both world wars, as well as its own self-imposed quality breach. In the mid 1980s, after a handful of shameless vintners were found to have added diethylene glycol (a toxic substance) to their sweet wines to imitate the unctuous qualities imparted by botrytis, Austria’s credibility as a wine-producing country was compromised. While no one was harmed, the incident forced the country to rebound and recover stronger than ever. By the 1990s, Austria was back on the playing field with exports and today is prized globally for its quality standards and dedication to purity and excellence.
Grüner Veltliner, known for its racy acidity and herbal, peppery aromatics, is Austria's most important white variety, comprising nearly a third of Austrian plantings. Riesling in Austria is high in quality but not quantity, planted on less than 5% of the country’s vineyard land. Austrian Rieslings are almost always dry and are full of bright citrus flavors and good acidity. Red varietal wines include the tart and peppery Zweigelt, spicy and dense Blaufränkisch and juicy Saint Laurent. These red varieties are also sometimes blended.