Grüner Veltliner HOCHRAIN
Hochrain
Hochrain is a mountain vineyard with south-east orientation. Here deep patches of loess were preserved on the slopes, ensuring a good nutrient supply and also significantly shaping the styles of the wines.
Town: Wösendorf
First mentioned in year: 1334
Terraced vineyard
Aspect: SO
Slope gradient: up to 64%
Altitude: 215-290m
Soil profile
The Wachau region remained free of ice during the glacial periods. Persistent westerlies deposited thick layers of loess particularly on the east slopes facing away from the wind, which forms the subsoil of the Hochrain vineyard today. Loess is mainly characterised by high concentrations of carbonate-rich silt, a soil of a grain size fraction between sand and clay, which is readily transported by wind. The mineral composition of loess is dominated by quartz, feldspar, mica, clay minerals and calcite (carbonate). Iron oxides give the loess a yellowish-brown colour.
The profile from the Wösendorf Hochrain shows a black soil over loess, characterised by a thick humus horizon. The carbonate concentration in the topsoil is about 20%, increasing to 40% in the parent material. The fertile soil is easy to cultivate and supplies enough water to the vines even in dry summers. The wines from loess, above all Grüner Veltliner, exhibit a broader, intense structure.”
The profile from the Wösendorf Hochrain shows a black soil over loess, characterised by a thick humus horizon. The carbonate concentration in the topsoil is about 20%, increasing to 40% in the parent material. The fertile soil is easy to cultivate and supplies enough water to the vines even in dry summers. The wines from loess, above all Grüner Veltliner, exhibit a broader, intense structure.”
