Winemaker Notes
Stein is actually a vineyard that Bernhard farms that’s in the Kamptal, specifically the village of Engabrunn. Bernhard’s village of Feuresbrunn is right on the border of Kamptal and the Wagram and Bernhard has roots in these Engelbrunn vineyards going back to his Great Grandfather who started farming these sites in 1889. Stein means stone and as the name would suggest, this vineyard is loess with a lot of gneiss. It might remind you more of the wines from Renner than the heavy loess wines from Rosenberg, which recall the Lamm more than any other site. Long maceration here in the press prior to natural fermentation in steel.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Chopped apples, wildflower honey, thyme and almond blossoms on the nose of this creamy and ripe yet minerally white. It’s silky and full-bodied with cool layers and a light, chalky undertone. Long and delicious. From biodynamically grown grapes with Respekt certification. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Vibrant and expressive, with juicy kiwi and pear flavors lifted by bright clementine-like acidity. The palate is lively and precise, showing energy and tension, with a clean, focused finish. Textural and layered, yet approachable, highlighting the site's freshness and character.
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.