Kamptal, a subregion of Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), is one of Austria’s mid-sized wine production areas, with some 9,880 acres that produce about 8% of the country’s wines. Kamptal is located roughly 43.4 miles west of Vienna, at the junction of the Kamp and Danube Rivers. The town of Langenlois is its geographic and winemaking center. Much is made of the famous sandstone vineyard site, Heiligenstein, on the eastern side of Kamptal, and deservedly so, as it was the Riesling produced here that established the region internationally. But it is primarily Gruner Veltliner, 60% of the region’s production, which has brought success to the producers of the Kamptal.
The local climate is influenced by the warming influence from the east and south and by the cooler Waldviertel to the north. This unique microclimate of warm days and cool nights is the magic formula for vital, fully ripe Veltliner, which flourishes in the terraced hillside vineyards. Lower vineyards have more loess and loam soils. Hence, from Kamptal, one can find both charming young wines and serious age-worthy wines from specific cru sites on the hillsides.