Article updated on August 29, 2025.
We’ve already discussed Riesling and its acidity in the comparison between Austrian and Alsatian Rieslings (the former won decisively). Now it’s time to compare two Austrian Rieslings from two regions that, while having some similarities, also present notable differences: Kamptal and Wachau.
Newsletter
The best wines, no boring scores
What fascinates me about Austrian wine is its great similarities that end up amplifying the differences. Almost all Austrian wines, perhaps with the exception of Styrian Sauvignons, present a certain spiciness that distinguishes them from the crowd and unites them. However, on this shared basis, differences are evident.
Riesling in Kamptal
Kamptal (here compared to the Kremstal) is located in Lower Austria, northwest of Vienna. The area is named after the Kamp River, which runs through it. Although the territory isn’t particularly picturesque and the flat areas aren’t that significant, the surrounding hills produce excellent wines.
The climate is continental, with some Pannonian influences leading to moderately warm summers and cold winters. The thermal variation favors acidity in the grapes and the development of aromas. The soil also offers great variety: loess, clay, and calcareous soils. This diversity is reflected in the variety of wines produced.
Historically, viticulture in Kamptal has developed greatly in recent decades, with particular attention to white wines, especially Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. The stylistic hallmark of the most famous producers, many of whom are based in the pleasant town of Langenlois, is characterized by great aromaticity and verticality. While not neglecting the fruit concentration, these producers prioritize freshness and precision.
Kamptal Rieslings are often sharp wines, characterized by vibrant citrus notes like lime and lemon, as well as apricot and peach. Acidity plays a central role, providing freshness and good longevity to these medium-bodied, dry wines with a light and precise structure.
Riesling in Wachau
Wachau is also located in Lower Austria, west of Vienna. The region is highly scenic, with steep terraced vineyards overlooking the Danube, a much more photogenic river compared to the Kamp. Viticulture in this area is forcedly, heroically, and sensually manual.
The climate in Wachau is different from that in Kamptal: still continental, but with Atlantic influences. This results in morning mists that favor noble rot and excellent thermal variations between night and day. The predominant soil is primary rock, such as gneiss and mica-schist, which constitute a crucial part of the terroir.
Historically, viticulture in Wachau has ancient origins, dating back to Roman times, and received a great boost from medieval monks of the important Melk Abbey, which will be familiar to those who have read “The Name of the Rose.” Here, as in Kamptal, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner dominate.
Wachau wines are divided into three unique categories within their DAC: Steinfeder, Federspiel, and Smaragd, indicating different levels of ripeness and potential alcohol content (named after elements of local flora and fauna). These three categories are at the center of a major debate, with cult producers like F.X. Pichler (highly appreciated during VieVinum 2024) leaving the local producers’ association, Vinea Wachau.
Wachau Rieslings also present citrus and apricot notes, but often stand out with characteristic flintiness. These wines are deep, yet complex in an extremely fascinating way. The acidity is powerful and precise, giving these wines an often nearly infinite aging potential. Depending on the classification, you can get light and fresh wines (Steinfeder), medium-bodied and balanced ones (Federspiel), or rich and full-bodied ones (Smaragd).
Riesling Kamptal vs Riesling Wachau
The comparison between the two cradles of Austrian Riesling is therefore played on three dimensions: territory, climate and wine style.
- Territory – Kamptal is an amphitheater of gentle hills that surround the Kamp river; Wachau is a rocky canyon carved by the Danube with terraced slopes among the steepest in Europe.
- Climate – Both continental, but: Kamptal = dry summer with Pannonian influences → regular maturation, cool nights. Wachau = Danubian corridor + Atlantic breezes → morning frost, strong thermal excursions and, in the valley floors, botrytis.
- Soils – Mixture of löss, clay and limestone in Kamptal; gneiss, mica schists and paragneiss on living rock in Wachau: the first enhances citrus clarity, the second the fumé depth.
- Classifications – Kamptal DAC (and the Erste Lagen of ÖTW) privileges the origin of the single vineyard; Vinea Wachau codifies the fullness of the fruit in Steinfeder ≤ 11.5 % vol, Federspiel ≈ 12.5 % vol, Smaragd ≥ 13 % vol.
- Average organoleptic profile¹ – Kamptal: lime, lemon, white peach, “laser” cut. Wachau: ripe apricot, flint stone, hints of petroleum, broad structure (“baroque”).
- Findings from my tastings – 15 samples from Kamptal (average 84.8/100) and 31 from Wachau (average 89.1/100) show, in my notebook, greater complexity and charm for Wachau.
| Parameter | Kamptal | Wachau |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Lower Austria, 70 km N-W of Vienna; hills around the Kamp river | Lower Austria, 80 km W of Vienna; Danube gorge |
| Altitude | 200 – 380 m a.s.l. | 200 – 450 m a.s.l., very steep terraces |
| Dominant soils | Löss, clay, limestone | Gneiss, mica schists, paragneiss (primary rock) |
| Climatic influences | Continental-Pannonian (dry) | Continental-Atlantic (fresh, humid) |
| Local classification | Kamptal DAC (Klassik / Reserve) + ÖTW Erste Lage | Steinfeder / Federspiel / Smaragd (Vinea Wachau) |
| Typical Riesling style | Medium-light body, sharp, citrus, white peach, “surgical” acidity | Medium-full body, ripe fruit, apricot, flint stone, powerful acidity but wrapped in fruit |
| Average alcohol | 12–13 % vol | 12.5–14.5 % vol (↑ from Federspiel to Smaragd) |
| Longevity | 8–15 years | 10–10–25+ years |
| Average scores (my notes)¹ | 84,8/100 (n = 15) | 89,1/100 (n = 31) |
¹ Processing of 46 samples tasted between 2023-2025.
Riesling Wachau and Kamptal – All the Impressions
Tasting Notes Index
Weingut Bründlmayer – Kamptal
Riesling Steinmassl 2021
Tasted: 13/08/2023 | Pairing: Mixed fried seafood | Color: Pale golden yellow
Aromas: Lime zest, peach, petrol, field grass
The nose has an elevated element (the floral one) that is truly captivating, elegant and destabilizing. In the mouth it is silky, tightly woven. There’s good fruit concentration (apricot). Very high acidity, a solid pillar on which the wine is built. The final moments have an incredible wave of spiciness, a wave that almost covers the otherwise elegant and long finish. Good salinity. It’s a wine that tries many things but fails to have a coherent identity. Useless with fried seafood, better when paired with some bites of spicy mayonnaise so the spices, though similar, play with each other.
Riesling Terrassen Kamptal DAC 2020
Tasted: 16-17/02/2023 | Pairing: Crostini with smoked salmon, arugula, candied orange | Color: Intense straw yellow
Aromas: Hydrocarbons, white peach, mandarin
It’s a complete Austrian Riesling. Its freshness doesn’t hide its elegance, you feel all the hydrocarbons, and the mandarin retronasally. But there’s also a crispy fruit, made less intense by the almost velvety texture. However you feel a bit of unwelcome extra acidity, not tamed by the residual sugar. Incredible with the crostini, unlocks extra flavors, excellent pairing.
Riesling Terrassen Kamptal DAC 2022
Tasted: 26-28/09/2023 | Pairing: Salmon and candied orange crostini | Color: Pale straw yellow
Aromas: Wild flowers, bay leaf, white peach, cloves, mandarin
As with the 2020, the aroma is more vertical than the mouth. You feel the residual sugar, the concentrated fruit (yellow peach) and a body that’s not lean, but retronasally there’s a really austere bay leaf note. The acidity appears at the beginning and end, high and punctuates the two poles of the sip. Finish with few polyphenols and with a dominant green (apple) note, almost raw. It impressed me less than the 2020 but for the price it’s a really complex wine. This time the salmon was cheap, I forgot the arugula and so the pairing lacked decent food.
Ried Heiligenstein Riesling 2021
Tasted: 04/06/2024 | Pairing: Salmon burger | Color: Straw yellow with greenish reflections
Aromas: White flowers, cream, unripe apricot, flint
Call me crazy but I’m not a big fan of Bründlmayer wines. The nose is inviting because it’s creamy, but then there’s this reductive element that is austere and unpleasant for me. The palate is very clean, despite good body: still reductive and white currant notes, quite unripe. The acidity is medium, solid and vertical as per manual, but it’s folded inside the fruit. I find this wine too naked and acidly empty to be great. The sip ends with a long, tart and generally satisfying apple seed note, saline flavor and phenolic shadow (really elegant). It screamed too much with the already spicy burger.
Zöbinger Heiligenstein Alte Reben Riesling 2021
A king. Rich aromas of apricot, gasoline and papaya. Then the mouth has this soft, but tense body. Still intense aromas equipped for aging of ripe fruit. The mid-palate is slightly stony. The acidity is folded inside the fruit, initially – and then extracted like a blade that goes higher and higher until the end of the sip. You have a great sense of vertical movement here.
Zöbinger Heiligenstein Alte Reben Riesling 1981
Not something you should serve. It’s gone long ago. Aromas of old nuts, mold and ancient wood. The palate still has some energy, but the aromas are dead. A shame.
Jurtschitsch – Kamptal
Ried Heiligenstein Riesling
Another wine too old. This had a bit more fruit left, and slightly more acidity. The moldy notes gave way to caramelized ones, but it was still acetic and not worth the sip.
Zöbinger Heiligenstein Alte Reben Riesling Reserve 2020
Lemon, apricot, wet stone and herbs on the nose. On the palate flowers, metallic but in an elevated way. Great finish with lots of apricot and still the citrus. A wine full of sparks and life against the background of a serious dark gloom given by the dense body, which is tense and tightly woven: full Alte Reben! The acidity is an exposed metallic backbone.
Zöbinger Heiligenstein Alte Reben Riesling Reserve 2021
Softer and more delicate than the older one, although it lacks the same fruit concentration. Here you have ripe apricot, fresh peach, even honey. The palate lacks a bit of tension but is so round and sexy. A warm horizontal curve that leaves a soft mark that is quite comforting. Tropical notes in the good finish. Attractive. Medium acidity.
Quelle Riesling Ernte 2020
Perfect for its style, which I find quite strident. Apple on the nose, with some pear. It almost seems to betray the grape, in my opinion. There’s acidity, there’s life, it’s a dynamic yellow sea. The palate is still fruity and the finish shows some citrus peel. But it seems so sad compared to the “classic” ones.
Ried Heiligenstein Steinwand Riesling 2022
More metallic than the previous, more vertical and angular. The acidity is the backbone.
Quelle Riesling Ernte
Probably a good combination of the two previous ones: still dominant acidity, but there are unmistakable notes of ripe quince and a pleasant oxidative note. Rustic full body for medium intensity aromas.
Weingut Fred Loimer – Kamptal
Ried Heiligenstein Riesling 2021
It has the nectarine and the pulp but the acidity hits you hard, maybe it needs more time.
Steinmassl Riesling Reserve Erste OTW Lage 2015
Intense golden yellow. Apples, honey, rock, sage. Very soft and fluffy body and beautifully saline. In the mouth sweet spices and chili pepper. Very dense texture and fantastic fruit concentration. High and excellent acidity that radiates from the tongue. Eternal and saline finish with pear and apricot. Very soft for Kamptal! A Riesling that takes its spaces. Very elegant in the mouth.
Franz Hirtzberger – Wachau
Ried Steinporz – Riesling Smaragd 2023
Good, but slightly disappointing considering I was there for it. Peach and white flowers on the nose, very elegant aromas. Polite acidity, relaxed and vertical. Medium body and finish with hazelnut notes. Very refined.
Ried Steinporz – Riesling Smaragd 2022
Apricot, very rich and pulpy. Acidity that acts as a pivot. To be revisited but still saline. Sweeter than the Grüner Veltliner. Crowd-pleaser.
Ried Steinporz – Riesling Smaragd 2023
This one even more restricted. White flowers, citrus, yellow stone fruit, smokiness. Here too strong and fruity acidity. Finish all apple. More introverted than the previous.
Singerriedel – Riesling Smaragd 2011
Very little fruit, beeswax, maybe lit match, honey, dried fruit (apricots). Very serious, composed, complex, requiring attention. Soft and dry body. Eternal finish.
Singerriedel – Riesling Smaragd 2023
Crazy. Very ripe apple and pear, beeswax, chamomile, honey. The palate immediately shows all its importance with the fruit density and beeswax that gives it seriousness and supports the fruit. Acidity that lasts forever after the sip. Polyphenols galore. In the great finish initially honeysuckle, then grapefruit and wood notes, which show how this already excellent wine in ten years will be unmissable. It already writes now what it will be. Delicate and full of power.
Singerriedel – Riesling Smaragd 2024
This is serious despite the fleshy stone fruit and citrus character, acidity that is the backbone and provides freshness and vitality.
F. X. Pichler – Wachau
Ried Trum Riesling Smaragd 2022
Apricot, peach, wet stone. Really pronounced acidity that tickles the tongue with fireworks and remains even at the end of the sip. Really vertical but juicy. Finish all Riesling, very fruity, without any cloyingness. Crispy wine.
Ried Loibenberg Riesling 2023
Fantastic consistency in this producer, this one was also juicy.
Tegernseerhof – Wachau
Kellerberg Riesling Smaragd 2022
Tasted: 19/05/2024 | Pairing: Fish skewers | Color: Golden yellow
Aromas: Cashew, apricot, thyme, lemon
A peacock wine. Really expressive, open but majestic nose. Tightly woven and broad in the mouth, where the high but balanced pole-shaped acidity escorts the entire sip. It’s juicy with fantastic fruit concentration, clearly a long life to live. Dried apricot, gasoline and hot crushed stone in the palate. The finish is long, saline and with orange notes that evolve into stony notes. It’s a wine that makes a full display of its qualities, baroque like many excellent Austrian wines but without losing linearity. The fruit density almost sticks to the mouth, the richness can be high because the acid frame is strong. Good with the skewers, it melted in the bite and then emerged with its power.
Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd 2011
Nuts, syrup, gasoline, papaya. A wine that comes and takes everything. It’s a fruit at its most mature moment, already showing beautiful signs of decay. The acidity is a pillar, unmoved by the years and relegated to the background. In the mouth all the density and exaggeration of late release is expressed. Nuts and ripe tropical fruit on the palate. The sip ends but the wine, whose source is uncontaminated and concentrated, seems to have more to say. Nuts and sweet syrup encapsulate a long long finish, guided by acidity.
Weingut Knoll – Wachau
Ried Kellerberg Dürnsteiner Riesling Smaragd 2023
The best among the wines tasted at the Falstaff Weißweingala 2025, by far. Nose of acacia honey, nuts, but also stone fruit and Mediterranean herbs. The body is well structured, but never static. Full of life thanks to perfectly integrated acidity. It’s both ready and with a long life ahead. Masterpiece. Gigantic and very concentrated finish with infinite bergamot notes, so bitter and elegant.
Alzinger – Wachau
Smaragd Loibenberg Riesling 2023
Not a game changer.
Pichler-Krutzler – Wachau
Loibenberg Riesling 2022
Color: Straw yellow
Elegant, but perhaps too introverted. Verbena, old wood, yellow flower apples, smoky. Acidity that acts as a pivot then emerges in final reverberations. Very hidden and therefore exciting. On the palate the pear that however soon transforms into honeyed notes of great elegance. Less impetuous. Very stylish.
Grabenwerkstatt – Wachau
Trenning Riesling 2022
Color: Straw with silver reflections
Apricot, hazelnut, lemon zest, almost mountain aromas. Acidity that acts as a pivot and tickles so much, very lively and juicy. In the mouth butter. Finish with white peach and leaving a barely phenolic reverberation. Young. Final hydrocarbon note that bursts in and suggests life ahead.
Nikolaihof – Wachau
Vinothek Riesling 2002
Nose of citrus, old wood, apricot. But it has lost too much acidity and the body, still fruity, collapses on itself. Closed finish.
Vinothek Riesling 2022
Color: Yellow just more golden
Dates, vanilla, dried apricots. It just lacks a bit of fruit concentration to reach the top. Splendid acidity though. Threaded in the fruit it acts as a backbone and then comes out in the finish. Mouth of dates and then in the finish dried apricot and these polyphenols that excite. When the wood integrates it will make fireworks.
Rudi Pichler – Wachau
Ried Achleithen Riesling Smaragd 2023
Hazelnut, ripe yellow fruit, very Austrian, petrol. Leaves a great impression in the mouth, scorching acidity and spicing, will age very well.
Ried Kirchweg Riesling Smaragd 2023
For meals, that lets itself be done but has a beautiful acidity that will make it last. Honeysuckle, tropical fruit. Still hazelnut but less baroque. Long and saline.
Terrassen Riesling Smaragd 2023
What you want from Terrasse: floral, apricot, yellow peach, tropical, fresh but with an acidity that gives it thrusts from great wine. Slightly phenolic finish.
Josef Jamek – Wachau
Ried Klaus Riesling 2023
Geranium, maybe citrus. Little to say and also a bit soft on its feet.
Ried Klaus Riesling Smaragd 2023
Fascinating how petrol and tropical yellow fruit are beautifully integrated. Also honey notes. Acidity that acts as a backbone. Dusty pear mouth and ends with ripe apple notes. Very complete and integrated and without excesses.
Ried Klaus Riesling 2023 (second version)
Stronger than the previous, but the jasmine notes and solid structure are still there. Also gasoline.
Ried Achleiten Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 2023
Almost black pepper, then ripe apple, aromatic herbs, honey. Incredible power. Powerful acidity that leads to the great finish but in the middle the softness of the yellow fruit almost pear that gives a break when the acidity drops. So many nuances.
Prager – Wachau
Ried Klaus Riesling Smaragd 2023
Floral and with citrus character.
Ried Achleiten Riesling Auslese 2021
Mandarin peel, orange leaf, cooked apple. So spicy, so fun. High acidity, a lean and citrusy body, that sparkles in the mouth. Not a long finish apart from the desire to pair it with something outrageous.
Wachstum Bodenstein Riesling 2011
Perfectly integrated: silky body, the aromas of golden apple, but also honey and wood. Soft and without rough edges, with an acidity that supports and a certain sweetness. Very long finish with chiaroscuros.
Domäne Wachau – Wachau
Riesling Federspiel 1000-Eimer-Berg
Big fan of this, it has the juiciness of mango and a solid acid backbone. So much to give and discover.
Riesling Federspiel 1000-Eimer-Berg 2023
Color: Straw almost silver
White peach, honeysuckle, pear. Gentle acidity that acts as a pivot, a lively body bursting with life, decent fruit concentration and a very elegant and dynamic finish like the whole sip.
Riesling Federspiel 1000-Eimer-Berg 2023 (second version)
UFO fruit concentration and juiciness for a Federspiel. Apricot, tropical fruit, petrol. Very classic if you want but with a splendid acidity as a pivot and an excellent phenolic finish.
Riesling Smaragd Achleiten 2023
Mango, ripe apricot, papaya. Decisive acidity that acts as a pivot. In the mouth so much intensity and again the mango. Portrait as from Achleiten. In the finish citrus peel and tropical fruit notes close the rich sip with so much fruit intensity. Saline and phenolic, it’s very noble.
Riesling Smaragd Achleiten (special version)
The best among the wines tasted at Wine Affairs Spring Edition 2025. The classic Riesling aromas: mango, apricot and a stony reduction. On the palate it shows a multitude of layers, becoming ever thicker as we go deeper. Initially you perceive a cloud of smoke, and then the fruit follows. Phenolic finish that dries the mouth with great class and strength. Excellent backbone acidity and complexity.