For us, the Ried Bruck is one of the absolute favorite vineyard sites in Austria when it comes to Riesling. Why? Because these wines convey an unmistakably Austrian feeling. The aroma often features those warm, slightly stewed apricots, reminiscent of the apricot dumplings from grandma's kitchen. We’ll leave out the cocoa today—after all, we’ve grown up and are drinking wine now. And preferably that of the Grabenwerkstatt.
The soil of the Ried Bruck is unique: a complex conglomerate of mica schist, orthogneiss, and amphibolite. At an altitude of nearly 400 meters above sea level, the grapes ripen under cool morning conditions and long, warm hours of sunshine in the evening—an ideal interplay that gives this site its dancing acidity and taut precision.
On the palate, the Riesling is straightforward and taut, with a pointed phenolic quality that glides across the tongue and leads into a salty, saline finish that is simply phenomenal. Or, to put it simply: damn good.
Since 2021, the Grabenwerkstatt has no longer been a member of the Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus; therefore, the traditional designations Federspiel and Smaragd are no longer to be found. For the two winemakers, the focus today is on origin—the vineyard site itself—while classification based on must weight is steadily losing significance due to climate change.
