(Manfred Klimek / Pic Animation: Runwayml)
Even before she met Marco Kalchbrenner, Jutta Ambrositsch was a brilliant young Carinthian graphic designer in Vienna. She was someone who could not only read typography, but also think in terms of it. Marco, on the other hand, came from the world of text, of language, of the precise articulation of meaning – and there he was, the man from southern Burgenland, equally one of the best. The two met in the world of advertising – where they could easily have continued their rapidly rising, highly distinguished careers; right up to setting up their own agency. In the 1990s, that would have meant cash, awards and parties. Instead, they chose something more serious – winegrowing.
What both have been doing there for nearly twenty years is anything but superficial. On the slopes of the Viennese vineyards, around Nussberg, Riesenberg and Bisamberg, they produce wines that are not merely ornamental, but in some cases take a dramatic stance. Wines with an inner order, with clarity, with an astonishing self-assurance. Certified organic, uncompromising in their approach, distinctive in expression – and above all: completely autonomous. They didn’t have to ask anyone how to make wine ‘properly’. They taught themselves. And that is precisely why nothing feels contrived, nothing feels foreign, nothing feels forced. And that is why the pair and their wines are always unique.
This autonomy does not end in the cellar. It continues in the marketing, in their outreach to the wider world, in the astonishingly high export rate of around 75 per cent, primarily to the USA and Canada. Ambrositsch and Kalchbrenner are citizens of the world in the best sense of the term: curious, open-minded, engaging – without any attempt to curry favour. Their wines find a following because they are immediately recognised as exceptional by urban audiences. And not because anyone has to explain them.
For just under two years now, a second location has been added to the mix. One that isn’t part of a metropolitan neighbourhood, but seems almost otherworldly: the Csaterberg in southern Burgenland, an idyllic vineyard setting surrounded by woodland, divided into many small plots. This is where Jutta’s family’s vineyards lie, and this is where another side of the pair comes to the fore. Not a departure from Vienna – rather an extension; the sublime complement. A place where heritage, memory and the present intertwine.
Three wines hail from this Csaterberg, wines that are more than just a side project. They are a second voice. The project goes by the name ‘Waelder’.
The first release is ‘Aufwaerts’ 2024 – a cuvée of Welschriesling, Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Blanc. A wine for every day, yes. But not without substance. Fruity, nutty, with that South Burgenland warmth that doesn’t become overpowering, but rather carries the wine. The soil speaks clearly: serpentinite, opal, a hint of slate – a Hungarian influence that doesn’t come across as folkloric, but rather as structural. A wine that understands lightness without it being insubstantial.
Next comes ‘Himmelwaerts’ 2024, a Chardonnay, currently still at the barrel-tasting stage. A wine that will take its time – and demands it too. It is not quite itself yet; it is still putting its pieces in order. But even now it is evident that the aim here is not immediate accessibility, but depth. One that should be left to age. And one you’ll want to.
And then there’s ‘Hoellwaerts’ 2024. Blaufränkisch. Forty-year-old vines. A single 600-litre cask. Ten days on the skins – deliberately short, so that the colour doesn’t dominate, the lighter notes taking precedence over the darker ones; and so not at all ‘Hoelle’. What emerges here is truly something rare: a wine that is bound to appeal to almost everyone – yet still meets extremely high standards.
On the nose: mulberries, graphite, a hint of egg white. More sweet cherry than sour cherry. Subtle cassis, blueberry, a very slight hint of nut. But all that is almost beside the point. What matters is the palate: juicy, full-bodied, dense, yet light, and always completely effortless (which is not to say that more demanding wines do not have their absolute place – they do). A Blaufränkisch with drive, with inner tension, with that irresistible quality that makes you not want to put the glass down and have you eyeing up the next bottle whilst you’re drinking. Positively populist, if you will. A perfect wine for a night out – and at the same time one of the most substantial Blaufränkisch wines of recent years.
Finally, a tip that’s more than just a recommendation: drink ‘Hoellwaerts’ alongside ‘Hetfleisch’, the project for which Ambrositsch and Kalchbrenner commission the younger winemaker Christoph Wachter-Wiesler to produce. Two wines, two distinct styles, one common thread: sincerity without pathos, joy without oversimplification. We’ll also be taking an in-depth look at Wachter-Wiesler’s work over the coming days.
What remains is an impression that goes beyond individual bottles. Jutta Ambrositsch and Marco Kalchbrenner make wines that cannot – and do not wish to – explain just how good they are. They simply are. And sometimes – increasingly often – this results in a wine that achieves something greater: a wine that embraces the world.