Kamptal: Grüner Veltliner and Riesling – Millions of Years Young.
Its name is derived from the Kamp river. It is the home of Langenlois, Austria's largest wine town. And with 4,000 hectares of vineyards, it is one of Austria´s largest wine-growing areas. This is the Kamptal. Here, culture and tourism enjoy a particularly important status. And numerous Heurigen and vinotheques selling the local wines represent what connoisseurs and wine-growers in the Kamptal hold close to their hearts: Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.
Terroir, the oft-quoted and much discussed magic word in today´s wine trade, plays a highly important role in the Kamptal – especially because it is home of the Heiligenstein, one of the most prominent vineyard sites for wines that are individualistic and full of character. The name refers to the “hell-like” insolation that utilises the hot, dry microclimate. Geologically, the soil dates back 270 million years to the Permian age, and is composed of desert sandstone with volcanic particles.
Mainly Riesling vines are cultivated on the steep terraces perched on the south slope of the hill – which is so steep, that loess deposits here had only a temporary stay. The vines produce strong, mineral wines which, above all, age extraordinarily well. Closer to the Danube river, soil conditions change: on wide loess or clay terraces, ideal surroundings prevail and allow for the production of a wide variety of grapes and wine types - Grüner Veltliner, the Pinot family and Blauer Zweigelt. Climatically, the dynamics between the hot, Pannonian lain in the east and the cool Waldviertel to the northeast are evident. This interplay between hot days and cool nights confers great aromas and vigorous acidity to the grapes.
The Loisium is clearly an outstanding attraction for wine tourists: above ground is a futuristic visitor centre with a vinotheque featuring local wines; underground is a mystical wine experience, staged with light and sounds in century-old tunnels. The Loisium represents the perfect symbiosis of tradition and innovation characteristic of viticulture and wine-growers in the Kamptal. Along with the town of Langenlois and its surrounding villages - Gobelsburg, Haindorf and Zöbing - are a number of other noteworthy Kamptal wine producing villages, such as Etsdorf, Hadersdorf, Kammern, Lengenfeld, Schönberg and Straß im Straßertale.
Wine Estates in the Wine Area Kamptal
