(Manfred Klimek / Animated image: Runwayml)
Rechnitz and Wösendorf – one a village on the easternmost foothills of the Alps, the other on the southernmost edge of Austria’s Waldviertel region – places that could not be more different. Yet we must linger here a while longer, because here wines are poured as if they were arguments – no, they are!
Rechnitz – the anti-idyll
Rechnitz lies on the edge of the country; it’s just a few kilometres to Hungary, and every member of staff in the supermarkets commutes in from Hungary – which adds a bit of spice to the chat at the till. As I take my leave, I say “Wisla” (an inside joke). The air is very, very cool at the moment, with a moderate breeze. The soils, however, are – whatever the weather – green slate, loam, inclusions, transitions. Nothing is clear-cut, nothing is smoothed out. At the Straka Winery, this not only results in a distinctive and striking style, but also provides a foundation for experimentation that has taken root both regionally and internationally. Over the last ten years, this has given rise to Thomas Straka’s highly distinctive signature style – incidentally, I found a surprising number of such distinctive styles in the region around the Eisenberg.
Straka’s Furmint 2023 is brief in the glass – yet even the very first sip lingers for a surprisingly long time. Subtle, dark herbs, delicate hints of bitterness, quince, a touch of apricot, barely any pepper, the faintest hint of nutmeg: tension arising from its internal structure. And yet another reminder that this Hungarian grape also belongs in western Hungary. So why isn’t more of it planted? “Goodness me,” says Straka, “Furmint is even more susceptible to pests than Pinot Noir.”
Straka is even more precise (if that’s possible) when it comes to the Blaufränkisch wines, which are consistently harvested individually here:
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Blaufränkisch Grünschiefer: light berry notes, cool, almost ethereal. Herbs, redcurrant, an earthiness that doesn’t weigh the wine down. Very fine tannins, handled with vibrancy.
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Blaufränkisch Rechnitz DAC Reserve: denser, more structured, yet never heavy. Cherry fruit, a mineral core, juiciness on the finish. A wine with ageing potential that is likely to last longer than is generally assumed. A real bargain!
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Blaufränkisch Ried Rosengarten: deeper, deep, deeper still: darker, more spicy. Blackberry, juniper, fine-grained tannins. More serious, more concentrated, without veering into the monumental.
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Blaufränkisch Ried Prantner: the most austere, the most taut of the range. Cranberry, lingonberry, herbs, a firm backbone. A wine that maintains its tension and never lets up.
I’ll be writing separately about Thomas Strakas’s almost unique Welschrieslings in *WELT am SONNTAG*.
(At the Strakas’, any guest who has an extra glass downstairs, or is simply looking for a place to sleep, can spend the night on the floor above in superb accommodation of the very highest standard – as I know from experience and would highly recommend).
Wösendorf – the idyll
Wösendorf: terraces, walls, vineyards, a river, a true cultural landscape. At Rudi Pichler’s, all of this flows into the glass – for real. Here, it’s not just about tasting; here, things are explained – calmly, precisely, in detail, without any grandstanding. Alongside Bodenstein, Pichler is the Wachau’s liberal intellectual – not out of pretence, but based on his way of thinking and a degree in economics
The soil profiles aren’t displayed merely for decoration, but as a key to understanding. Gföhl gneiss, paragneiss, amphibolitic inclusions, limestone-free zones. You soon realise: these Rieslings aren’t made in the cellar, but on the slopes.
The 2024 Smaragd Rieslings demonstrate this clearly:
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Terraces: a delicate opening, white peach, a hint of slate, a logical and elegant structure. A wine that is almost outrageously good value for this quality and has good ageing potential. And a wine well-suited to the US market, where, despite tariffs, it is enjoying a minor boom – precisely because it embodies ‘the great’ in a way that is both excellent and affordable.
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Kirchweg: densely mineral, precise character, clear fruit. Sediments from the slope above are noticeable, needing no explanation.
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Hochrain: taut, concentrated, with distinct tension. Old vines, greater depth, longer finish. It has aged well after 50 years in the cellar. But we won’t live that long.
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Achleithen: purist, powerful, uncompromising. Gneiss, austerity, length. A Riesling that delights with its fruitiness, yet also challenges the palate with its minerality and intellectual complexity. More so than German Rieslings. The same applies to the Hochrain.
I’ll be reporting on Rudi Pichler’s Federspiele and Grüner Veltliners in *WELT am SONNTAG*
What remains
Two places, two landscapes, two very different languages. And yet they share something in common: both estates eschew simplification. They trust their wines to be interpreted as both simple and challenging at the same time. In the ‘Book of Wines’, they count on attention, not on sensationalism. Austria at its very best.