We should all drink more Austrian wine!!
I’ll admit something up front: I don’t drink Austrian wine as often as I should, which is a fault I’m actively trying to correct. A few weeks ago, I opened a bottle of Austrian Riesling by FX Pichler with friends, and it stopped me in my tracks. It was so vibrant, so mineral, and so complete that it sent me straight down a rabbit hole and made me want to share just how beautiful these wines can be. The best Austrian Rieslings can absolutely stand shoulder to shoulder with top bottles from Alsace and Germany but only a small fraction ever make it to the U.S. That makes discoveries like this feel even more fun.
The 2021 Sommer Handwerk Riesling captures a very specific corner of Burgenland and puts it clearly in your glass. This wine comes from vineyards on the western side of Lake Neusiedl, where the last foothills of the Leitha Mountains meet the wide, sun-soaked plains. It’s a fascinating geological crossroads. The soils here are a mix of limestone, schist, and weathered rock, which naturally limit vigor and give the wine a firm mineral backbone. That stony, almost salty edge you taste in the finish is the ground speaking.
Burgenland’s climate plays a huge role as well. Warm air flows in from the east, ensuring full ripeness, while the nearby lake moderates temperatures and helps preserve acidity. The result is Riesling with both generosity and precision.
“Handwerk” means “craft,” and that spirit defines the work here. This is hands-on vineyard farming, thoughtful harvesting, and restrained cellar practices designed to highlight site over technique. The goal isn’t flash — it’s clarity, texture, and a true expression of where the grapes are grown.
In the glass, the 2021 shows classic Riesling character shaped by warm days and rocky soils: lime blossom, green apple, and white peach layered over a streak of wet stone minerality. The palate is dry and focused, with mouthwatering acidity and a long, precise finish that feels almost chiseled.
If you love Sauvignon Blanc for its energy or Chablis for its minerality, this Austrian Riesling lands right in that sweet spot. It’s vibrant, structured, and deeply tied to its origin. This is a wine that tastes like somewhere, not just something.
96 Points, James Suckling
Intensely flinty and slightly funky in a very exciting way, this riesling is spectacularly focused, mineral and energetic. It needs some time to open up, so decant it if you want to drink it now, or give it a few years in which to unfurl its long, brightly colored banner. Best from 2025.