Decanter Praises Domäne Wachau

Wine writer Stephen Brooks sees “magnificent single-vineyard wines from the Wachau’s great sites.”

Stephen Brooks, a reviewer for highly influential DECANTER magazine, sat for a tasting of Domäne Wachau wines in mid-March in London. The event focused on Grüner Veltliner & Riesling bottles from the current vintage, although a few special bottles dating back to 1995 and even 1969 (!) were also poured.

In his article, Brooks praises the work of Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber in raising Domäne Wachau to quality far beyond what might be expected from a cooperative: “Thanks to the domaine’s scrupulous attention to detail, especially in the vineyards, these bottlings can be every bit as fine as many pricier offerings from established estates in the region.”

Brooks also assigned 90+ points for each of the nine bottles, highlighted by a 95 for the Smaragd Ried Achleiten Riesling 1995: “Overall, a magnificent demonstration of how these wines can age.”