It’s difficult to distill Austrian Riesling into one single archetype not because of regional variation, as in Germany, but because of style variation. In the westernmost part of Niederösterreich, or Lower Austria, the areas of Wachau, Kremstal, and Kamptal line up to form the country’s best source of top-quality Riesling wines, either made in a lighter, fresher style labeled “Classic” or “Steinfeder,” or a richer, more intense style labeled “Reserve,” “Federspiel,” or “Smaragd.”
As a generalization, the wines are almost always dry, with more extract and weight than those of Germany, but more acidity and sharp minerality than those of Alsace. The complexity of flavor on these wines is incredible, including but certainly not limited to fresh and ripe peach, apricot, lime, white blossoms, orange blossom, smoke, flint, freshly turned earth, and spice, in as many combinations as you could imagine.
Learn more about Austrian Riesling with our illustrated guide below!
