Kamptal is a small, increasingly prestigious wine district located 35 miles (55km) northwest of Vienna, northern Austria. From steep, sunbaked, sparsely-soiled terraces overlooking the river Kamp, its vineyards produce some of the world's very finest white wines: rich, spicy Gruner Veltliner and dry, flinty Riesling. A growing handful of top-quality dry reds are also made there, from Austria's signature red-wine variety, Zweigelt.
Based around the town of Langenlois, Kamptal is bisected by the southward-flowing Kamp, in the final miles before it flows into the Danube. The vineyards lie mostly on south-facing terraces above the river and on the lower-lying ground in the south closer to where the Kamp meets the Danube.
© AWMB/Herbert Lehmann
Like its southern neighbors Wachau and Kremstal, Kamptal takes climatic influence from both the warm Pannonian Plain to the east and the cool Waldviertel forests to the west. A vital quality of the mesoclimate here is the marked diurnal temperature variation; warm grape-ripening days are followed by cold, acidity-retaining nights.
The steep terraces in the north of Kamptal, with their thin layers of topsoil, are particularly well suited to Riesling. The vines are forced to dig deep into the bedrock for nutrients and stability, resulting in stronger plants and lower yields. Nowhere are the benefits of this clearer than in the famous terraced Heiligenstein vineyard near the town of Zobing. Heiligenstein Riesling is some of Austria's very finest. Gruner Veltliner seems to perform better in lower-lying areas, where the deeper soils (mostly clay and loess) contribute to richer, highly concentrated wines.
In 2008, Kamptal received a DAC classification for its higher-quality Riesling and Gruner Veltliner wines. The DAC has two sub-categories covering subtly distinct wine styles: Classic, for lighter, fresher wines, and Reserve for fuller-bodied wines with greater concentration and at least 13% alcohol. However, as the DAC system is relatively new, plenty of other grape varieties contribute to the region's wine output, from Pinot Noir to Chardonnay.
That said, Riesling and Gruner Veltliner are Kamptal's most prestigious varieties. Top Kamptal wines include Weingut Hirsch's "Zobinger Gaisberg" Riesling, Fred Loimer's "Lois" Gruner Veltliner and "In Gumpoldkirchen" blend, and the Willi Bundlmayer Gruner Veltliner "Kamptaler Terrassen". As imposing as the historic Schloss (castle) they come from are Schloss Gobelsburg's "Lamm" and "Steinsetz" Reserve Gruner Veltliners and its "Gobelsburger" Gruner Veltliner and Riesling.
Kamptal is an important center of Austrian wine tourism. Its main town, Langenlois, is home to the Loisium – a futuristic visitor center which leads down to a labyrinth of centuries-old, underground wine cellars.
