Grabenwerkstatt Bruck Riesling, Wachau 2021 100ml

Franz Hofbauer, and Michale Linke are old mates, enthusiasts with bags of experience around the world of wine that includes New Zealand’s famous Felton Road estate. They got together in 2014 to make wine in a small village at the western end, one might say the unusual end, of the Wachau in Austria, basing themselves in the small village of Trandorf, where Franz grew up.

They happily took over the management of a handful of vines, some of them in a derelict vineyard that they needed to give some TLC, and The winery's five single vineyard plots all sit within a side valley of the Wachau and are incredibly steep, labour intensive but rewarding sites, producing grapes with mineral freshness, intensity and great potential for ageing.

They farm along biodynamic principles, though they haven’t sought certification for it, and believe in a hands-off approach, don’t overdo the sulfur and don’t fine or filter.