Veyder-Malberg
Many Wachau wineries are steeped in family history passed down through generations. But Peter Veyder-Malberg's is different. He took charge of particularly exposed terraced vineyards in the region, those surrounded by dry stone walls that were inaccessible to machinery and had been quietly abandoned by growers, and cultivated them as if creating something from nothing. Most of the vines he tends are between 30 and 75 years old, and a significant number of them are located in Spitzer Graben, a cool side valley at the westernmost edge of Wachau. The grapes have been managed organically since the very first harvest. Only Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are generally labeled by vineyard name rather than following the region's typical sugar-content-based classification system, and these wines are made to emphasize clarity and tension over body.
The history
Veyder-Malberg came to Wachau after majoring in viticulture at the College of Viticulture in California's Napa Valley and the Wädenswil School of Engineering in Switzerland, and working in California, New Zealand, Tuscany and Germany, he oversaw viticulture, oenology, and marketing operations for 14 years at a winery located in Weinviertel.
The winery he personally operates was founded in August 2008 and is based in Viessling, located in the town of Spitz an der Donau on the banks of the Donau River. From the very beginning, his plan was clear and unwavering: to purchase exposed, terraced vineyards, primarily planted with old vines, to bring neglected vineyards back into production, and to prevent these vineyards from being cleared.
This was not an obvious choice from a commercial standpoint. Terraces require manual labor, which can be up to five times more labor-intensive than vineyards accessible to tractors, and that is precisely why so many historic vineyard plots were at risk in the first place.
Peter Veyder-Malberg is quite candid about this calculation. He believes the wine produced from these vineyards is unique enough to justify the effort.
===SECTION: Vineyards
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Title: The Terraces Nobody Wanted
The Wachau vineyard is famous for its layout. It consists of extremely steep slopes carved into terraces along centuries-old dry stone walls, with some sections featuring just a single row of vines stacked in tiers above the Danube. The vineyards of Veyder-Malberg are not concentrated in a single area but are scattered across several villages.
The core area is located in the Spitzer Graben valley, which stretches westward from Wachau with its back to the river; the vineyards here are situated at high altitudes. Other parcels are located further east.
- Hochrain: Terraced slopes above Wösendorf
- Weitenberg: Upper reaches northwest of Weissenkirchen
- Loiben: The warmest and easternmost area in this region
- Bruck: A Riesling vineyard
Cultivating these vineyards, from pruning to harvest, is done entirely by hand. The bottles are stamped with Handarbeit, which succinctly indicates that all work was done by hand.
Gneiss above, loess below
There are two soil groups across the Veyder-Malberg vineyards. Riesling is primarily grown on steep upper terraces composed of gneiss and mica schist. Grüner Veltliner is planted at lower elevations, where the influence of loess is more pronounced.
Hochrain is the best example of this. Hochrain is the best example of this. Grown on deep loess layers, Veltliner exhibits notes of nuts and spices blended with yellow fruit aromas, showing a distinct difference from wines of the same variety grown in the bedrock area.
Loiben, located at the eastern end, offers a warm contrast; the wines from this area exhibit different characteristics each year depending on subtle differences in soil, elevation, and sun exposure.
Two grape varieties
Veyder-Malberg wines are made from two grape varieties that form the basis of Wachau:
- Grüner Veltliner: Planted in either loess layers or bedrock areas, depending on the vineyard's location.
- Riesling: Primarily cultivated on steep terraces composed of gneiss and mica schist.
The age of the vines is just as important as the variety. The presence of these old vines was the main reason these vineyard plots were acquired.
The winemaking
Only healthy grapes are used, and those affected by Botrytis (mold) are excluded, an exceptionally strict standard in this region.
Since the winery's founding, all vineyard operations have been certified organic and are audited by the certification body Lacon.
Fermentation and aging take place in wooden vats made of acacia and oak, rather than in new, small oak barrels that can impart a pronounced oak aroma. The stated goal is delicacy: a subtle minerality, transparency, and tension.
Two words that repeatedly come up are drinkability and ageing potential. These wines tend to be somewhat closed in their youth and are not meant to be consumed immediately.
The labeling system is also noteworthy. While the Wachau's Steinfeder, Federspiel, and Smaragd categories are classified based on the wine's level of maturity, Veyder-Malberg largely departs from this classification system and instead adopts a method of directly indicating the vineyard name.
The range
Since the names of the wines are derived from the names of their respective regions of origin, the Veyder-Malberg lineup feels less like a hierarchical structure and more like a journey through the western and central Wachau regions.
Four of these wines clearly illustrate this diversity. Weitenberg Grüner Veltliner is produced on the terraced vineyards above Weissenkirchen. Hochrain Grüner Veltliner is a wine from the deep loess soils of Wösendorf, characterized by nutty and spicy aromas. Bruck is Riesling. And Alter Native is Grüner Veltliner, which stands slightly apart from the single-vineyard bottlings.
In addition, this winery produces a broader lineup of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling wines under names such as Liebedich, Kreutles, Viessling, Buschenberg, Brandstatt, Blümchen, Schöner Riesling and Loibner. Since all vineyards are cultivated by hand, production volumes are generally low.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Veyder-Malberg based?
At Viessling, part of Spitz an der Donau, in the western Wachau in Lower Austria.
Is Veyder-Malberg organic?
Yes. Grape growing in all the vineyards has been under organic control since the winery was founded in 2008, certified by Lacon.
Why don't the labels say Federspiel or Smaragd?
Those Wachau categories classify wines by sugar and potential alcohol. Veyder-Malberg mostly leaves them off and names the vineyard instead.
What is the Spitzer Graben?
A cool side valley in the far west of the Wachau, away from the Danube itself, with high vineyards and a harsh climate. It produces wines that are far from opulent.
