Austria
Wachau
VAH-kow
Steep terraces, Grüner Veltliner, and Riesling. The river is the road.
Map
- When to go
- May–June and September–October. Harvest weeks are for the growers, not for a crowd.
- Grapes
- Grüner Veltliner · Riesling
Tasting rooms
Most rooms are small and by appointment. Two estates is a day. Spit. The next village is ten minutes and a stone wall.
Nikolaihof
Mautern
BookNikolaihof
Old Wachau house. Biodynamic, quiet, and serious about Riesling.
Write ahead. Mautern is the bed.
Riesling · Grüner Veltliner · Nikolaihof
Weingut Alzinger
Unterloiben
BookWeingut Alzinger
Loiben. Precise whites from the terraces above the river.
Appointment. Don't expect a tour bus.
Grüner Veltliner · Riesling · Weingut Alzinger
F.X. Pichler
Oberloiben
BookF.X. Pichler
The name on a Wachau list. Small, and booked.
Write well ahead. If they say no, drink it in Dürnstein.
Grüner Veltliner · Riesling · F.X. Pichler
Franz Hirtzberger
Spitz
BookFranz Hirtzberger
Spitz, at the upriver end. Singerriedel is the vineyard people mean.
Appointment. Worth the extra kilometers.
Grüner Veltliner · Riesling · Franz Hirtzberger
Domäne Wachau
Dürnstein
BookDomäne Wachau
The cooperative that still matters, in the prettiest town on the river.
Easier to visit than the tiny estates. Book in season.
Grüner Veltliner · Riesling · Domäne Wachau
Itinerary
Dürnstein to Spitz
1–2 days
The river road. One estate before lunch, one after, then stop.
Morning
Domäne Wachau or Alzinger
Grüner, then lunch in Dürnstein.
Afternoon
Hirtzberger or Nikolaihof
One more. Watch the light on the river.
Federspiel and Smaragd are not the same wine. Ask which is which before you decide.
Business inquiries
Have a room in Wachau?
Featured placement, your booking link, ninety days. Drinkers stay free.
Business inquiries