ÖhlzeltRiesling “Zöbinger” (750ml)

Barbara Öhlzelt is turning the region’s paradigm completely on its head. Instead of the unctuous, powerful and masculine wines of the famous large estates, Barbara’s wines emphasize focus and a quiet, simmering intensity. They are fine, clearly delineated, precisely-etched renditions of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling with just as much depth and persistence as the big boys, but on a lighter, more refreshing frame. They really are like the wines of Weiser-Künstler, but translated into the dialect of the Kamptal – loess, granite and sandstone, rather than slate. It should go without saying, but of course the wines are loaded with mouth-watering acidity and the alcohol levels are carefully restrained. Barbara is soft-spoken but intense; the wines are not unlike their shepherd. These are racy, delicate wines of purity and energy, and are exactly what the next chapter in the story of Austrian wine should be.

The Zöbingers are Barbara’s village-level wines, sourced from younger vines in vineyards scattered around her hometown of Zöbing. Both wines (Riesling and Grüner) have more texture and density than the liter, as you’d expect. Both, however, have an elegance, a seamlessness and energetic mineral core to them. They have lift; they are salty and refreshing and you will want to drink a lot. This push-pull of depth and levity, this you would not expect.