What you need to know about the Camptal Valley: Grüner, Riesling, the best vineyards

Standing on the balcony of the Bründlmayer winery and leisurely gazing out over the Kamptal Valley, illuminated by the rays of the newly risen sun, you begin to understand why some of Austria's greatest grüneries originate here;

The valley takes its name from the river Kamp, which flows through this wine region in Lower Austria. The suffix -tal means «valley» in German.

The Kamp River is quite narrow, and we can only see a small section of it from the balcony. Andreas Wyckhoff, Master of Wine, the most prestigious title in the wine world, is standing next to me and is talking passionately about the importance of the river for local winemaking and why its small width has a positive effect on grape ripening. It turns out that the smaller the water body, the less heat accumulated during the day is released at night, so the berries do not ripen as quickly.

«Kamptal is one of the best regions for sparkling wine production in Austria,» he says. - Thanks to the cold air coming down from the mountains in the north, the grapes retain high acidity and slowly accumulate sugar, which is extremely important precisely for the production of high-quality sparkling wines. We need a balance of delicately fruity flavor and freshness - the basis of the fundamentals of the region's best wines.»

The main white variety in Austria is of course the «Grüner Weltliner», which shows itself in surprisingly different ways here;

It is a varietal that cannot be confined. It changes beyond recognition, reflecting the terroir with a sensitivity that even more noble varieties like Riesling or Chardonnay cannot always display. And here, in Kamptal, Grüner shows what it is capable of;

During my time in Austria, I noticed that you can try 10 wines from vineyards in the neighborhood, and they will all be completely different and interesting in their own way. Personally, I am curious to taste wines that have not been aged in barrel, because this way you can feel the variety itself and how it has shown itself on this or that plot of land;

For example, on light loess slopes, «gruner» produces rounded, almost creamy wines with notes of pear, honey and white pepper. On stony soils, especially on gneiss and amphibolite, the grape flavor becomes austere, mineral, with a taut acid string and a characteristic «salty» finish;

A Grüner is a kind of musical instrument on which the winemakers of the Camptal region play a symphony. Everyone does it a little differently.

Kamptal follows the traditions of famous wine-producing countries such as Italy (DOC), France (AOC) or Spain (DO). In 2008, Austria introduced its Kamptal DAC wine classification system to help navigate the region's styles.

DAC stands for Districtus Austriae Controllatus, or «controlled Austrian provenance». Kamptal DAC focuses on a three-tier system, divided into region, village and vineyard. The first tier (Regional Wine) offers a taste of Kamptal's diversity, while the second tier (Ortswein) reflects the time-honored tradition of local wines. The third category (Riedenwein) are wines from a single vineyard. And this is the top of the pyramid in the Kamptal DAC classification;

Each individual category is immediately recognizable by the label on the front of the bottle. A regional wine is simply called Kamptal. In the case of Ortswein, the name of the area where the wine was produced is written on the label, for example Langenlois (Langenlois). In the case of Riedenwein, the label should indicate the specific vineyard, e.g. Heiligenstein or Lamm.

In the Austrian system, Ried is an officially registered vineyard, the equivalent of the French Climat. It designates a clearly delineated area with unique soil and climatic characteristics. 

Ried Lamm is a favorite of mine. It is a southern slope at the foot of the famous Heiligenstein vineyard with loess soils. The Grüner from here is juicy, voluminous, structured and noble, the wines have a dense texture, aromas of ripe apricots and notes of white pepper and spice;

It so happens that despite the fact that Riesling and Grüner Veltliner varieties grow next door to each other, they like quite different soils;

Therefore Ried Heiligenstein is the jewel of Kamptal, but already for the «Riesling» variety. Sandstone and volcanic rocks form a spicy, almost fiery wine.

Ried Steinmassl is a vineyard with stony, poor soil and a steep slope. It produces Rieslings with intense minerality, almost like the best Großes Gewächs in Germany. 

Ried Grub is a vineyard famous for complex, almost creamy gruner. Here the grapes get a little more heat and the wine is fuller, with notes of creamy apple and soft acidity. 

Bründlmayer is a true classic. The Ried Lamm and Ried Käferberg are especially worth trying. Literally a school of style.

Loimer is biodynamic and a philosophy of wine laissez-faire, i.e. non-interference in natural processes. This winery's Lois Grüner Veltliner is minimalism at its best. And Steinmassl Riesling is a wine with character.

Topf quietly but surely makes wonderful wines. The Ried Wechselberg and Blanc de Blancs from this producer are particularly worthy of attention;

Schloss Gobelsburg has held a special place in my heart ever since I met winemakers Eva and Michael Mosbrugger. It is not only their wines that are remarkable. The philosophy and meaningfulness with which they produce them is also incredibly inspiring. Michael prioritizes respect for tradition, responsibility and mutual aid. I will talk more about him in a future article. Gobelsburg is a historic winery run with monastic discipline and poetic precision. I highly recommend trying their Ried Grüner Ried Grub and Ried Heiligenstein Riesling. 

Austria is now experiencing the second birth of sparkling wines. Local zektas, made using the traditional method, are competing confidently with champagne and sometimes even winning in blind tastings.

Bründlmayer's Brut Rosé, for example, is real morning sunshine in a glass. The light strawberry of this fresh rosé is complemented by a brackish minerality.

Topf's Blanc de Blancs is characterized by creamy notes, brioche and a fine delicate sparkle. Pure delight.

Loimer's Extra Brut Reserve is crisp, citrusy and slightly wild, making it a wine for purists and aesthetes. I also definitely recommend trying their Orange from the Grüner Veltliner variety. This matte gold colored wine exudes notes of Christmas fruit bread, candied orange zest and apple cider;

In general, Camptal is beautiful. I have the impression that it is a concentration of mind, labor and philosophy of honest, thoughtful winemaking. «Grüner» here is not just a grape variety, but a reflection of the land, and zect is not a by-product and entertainment, but a serious art.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor