Wieninger, Wiener Riesling

Fritz Wieninger is considered a pioneer of the ‘New Vienna’ wine movement, combining a sense of modernity with the traditions of the region and his family, who have been making wine for over 100 years.

Weingut Wieninger comprises 50 hectares of biodynamically-grown vines on two main sites, ‘Bisamberg’ (35 hectares) and the smaller ‘Nussberg’ (15 hectares), separated by the Danube River. The drier and sunnier ‘Bisamberg’ is characterised by light, sandy loess soil, creating fresh wines with vibrant acidity. In contrast, ‘Nussberg’ is planted on shell and limestone soils with a high clay content, giving its wines greater richness and deeper fruit aromas.

Best enjoyed young and fresh, the Riesling has notes of peach with hints of mango and pineapple. The lively palate shows good complexity with flavours of sweet stone fruits. The Pinot Noir Select has ripe cherry aromas complemented by delicate spice notes. The palate expresses a bright acidity and soft tannins. Wieninger also makes a traditional Viennese white, Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC, from its separate sites, including one of the Vienna region’s most historical vineyards, the ‘Rosengartl’. This unique wine comprises a field blend of varieties grown, picked and fermented together, showing the individual characteristics of each vineyard rather than a specific variety. The blend includes Weissburgunder, Neuburger, Welschriesling, Grüner Veltliner, Sylvaner, Zierfandler, Rotgipfler, Traminer and Riesling. “I try to use the numerous facets of my grape material,” says Fritz, “to be able to show the differences in site and vintage and to get the character of the vineyard into the bottle – this is my greatest challenge.”