Danube terraces Roter Veltliner

On the North side of the Danube River, starting from the ancient city of Krems, an area with a great agricultural and above all wine-growing vocation is located. This vocation is demonstrated by the splendid terraces of the five wine regions that extend within a radius of 30 km: Wagram, Traisental, Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal. The terraces are located in a wide valley formed by the Danube in the ice age, with a particular microclimate, which is the result of the encounter between the cold northern winds, coming from the Bohemian massif, and the warm ones coming from the south-east Pannonian plains. A perfect climate for viticulture, which gives the grapes an intense, sweet aroma and a bright color.
Although there are several terroirs in the area described, it is the "löss" that gives the wine its mark and provides substantial support to the terraces. It is a clayey-sandy soil of a deep yellow or reddish-yellow color, which thanks to its ability to retain water and its minerals richness creates the perfect conditions for the cultivation of Roter Veltliner, a rustic vine, with berries that turn to dark pink when ripe. Its tendrils are bronze, as is the shoot. Thanks to its low water and nutrient requirements, it resists even in the driest areas. It ripens around mid-October, when the berries reach their highest level of pectin and the pulp is gelatinous.
The origins of this variety date back to the presence of the Romans in the region, when a Roman soldier withdrew from the battlefields to pursue a quiet and rural life, he was granted a small patch of land so that he could produce and sell wine of ancient Roman varieties, such as Roter Veltliner. Between the 9th and 11th centuries, after a long interruption in viticulture, some Baverese monks arrived in the region and resumed production, exploiting the vines already present in the area. During the Habsburg Empire, the Roter Veltliner spread to many wine regions of the country. However, starting from the 1950s its cultivation was reduced, to remain only in its current refuge: the terraces on the Danube, near Wagram. The industrialization of viticulture, which involves the use of tractors and synthetic chemicals to maximize the yield and flatten wines, has caused the almost total disappearance of the Roter Veltliner, unsuitable for this type of practice.
Fortunately, some tenacious winemakers have preserved this variety, whose organoleptic characteristics are increasingly appreciated, for its delicate floral scents, spicy notes and strong style, with a long and elegant finish. The winemaking model differs according to the cellar and the terroir, a feature that makes Roter Veltliner always surprising and never boring. Furthermore, each winemaker uses its own yeasts and it is forbidden to add sugars or acidifiers. The harvest must be manual, so as to better select the grapes. The simpler versions can age between 3 and 5 years, while the more audacious can even go up to 15 years and beyond.

Season

The Roter Veltliner is harvested from the end of September until mid-October