“Our fervency lies in creating a wine that offers a great experience for all the senses, like a piece of artwork”. This claim certainly applies to our Reserve and icon wines, which we only produce in the very best of vintages:
Grüner Veltliner and Riesling “M” (Monumental)
Grüner Veltliner and Riesling “Unendlich©”
Sauvignon Blanc Große Reserve
Wachau DAC
from the 2020 vintage
More transparency, more clarity, and an absolute commitment to the origin… these are the most important advantages of the new DAC system in the Wachau.
The main principles and regulations
The word “Wachau” on the label of a wine guarantees 100% hand-picking: All grapes in the Wachau wine-growing region must be picked by hand – even where a harvesting machine is technically possible. The higher you climb the Wachau DAC pyramid, the stricter the additional requirements become.
The following applies to all wines that display the “Wachau DAC” designation:
The grapes must grow and be processed in the designated Wachau wine-growing region. The consumer can clearly understand the origin of the wine, and the region benefits from this added value. The is only one exception: the processing of grapes from the Wachau is permitted in the adjacent wine-growing regions of Kremstal and Traisental under precisely defined conditions.
Die Herkunftspyramide
Künftig gliedern sich Wachauer Weine in Gebietsweine, Ortsweine und Riedenweine. Die Spitze dieser Pyramide ist in unserer eigenen Weingut-Gliederung den Reserve- und Kultweinen vorbehalten.
Reserve and Icon Wines
Riedenweine – Our Single Vineyard Wines
The Rieden – or single vineyard site – wines are made exclusively from the principal Wachau grapes varieties; Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. The regulations are clear, and neither perceivable wood aging nor enrichment are permitted. Furthermore, each designated “Ried” wine may only contain grapes from one specific single-vineyard site. Officially, there are 157 single vineyards defined in the Wachau valley, and the name of the specific vineyard must be clearly visible on the label. Company brand names or made-up brands are not to be declared as “Ried” single vineyard wines.
Ortsweine - Village wines
The grapes produced for a village wine (orig. Ortswein) must come from a single town or village, and have no perceivable oak aging. A total of 22 village names are permitted, and only that specific village name may be declared on the wine label. These wines reflect the typicity of the Wachau wine growing region. Please find a list of the permitted quality wine grape varieties for the varietal village wines below: Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Weißer Burgunder (Pinot blanc), Grauer Burgunder (Pinot gris), Chardonnay, Neuburger, Muskateller (Muscat), Sauvignon blanc and Traminer.
Gebietsweine - Territory wines
This category of regionally typical wines reflects the diversity of the Wachau winegrowing region and up to 17 different wine grape varieties are permitted for this wine style of regional character and origin. The wineries are permitted to source grapes from the entire Wachau winegrowing region. When it comes to wine style, the winemakers have more freedom in defining their chosen production and maturation methods, such as the use of new oak barrels.
Please find a comprehensive overview of the new Wachau DAC regulations here.