Rudi Pichler

Riesling Ried Achleiten Smaragd

Riesling & Riesling-based Blends

Rudi Pichler

Riesling Ried Achleiten Smaragd

Riesling & Riesling-based Blends

The Pichler family has been making wine in the village of Wösendorf since at least the late 19th century. The original cellar building, more of a small stall than a winery, was purchased in 1884 and their first vineyards were planted in the town of Wosendorf in 1904. The modern winery was built in 2004 near Rudi´s private home. After some initial wanderlust and the pursuit of various other interests – academic and commercial – Rudolf Pichler IV returned to the family winery with a seed of an idea. He had no formal training other than his memories of his grandfather and his instincts for great wine.

Tasting Notes

From extremely steep, southwest-exposed terraces with meagre, Gföhl gneiss soils, this is a mineral-pure Riesling, one that epitomizes a wine‘s authenticity and identity.

Food Pairing

Pair with teriyaki scallops, poached egg and sautéed chanterelle mushrooms sauce, or chicken topped with a pineapple honeydew melon salsa.

The Pichler family has been making wine in the village of Wösendorf since at least the late 19th century. The original cellar building, more of a small stall than a winery, was purchased in 1884 and their first vineyards were planted in the town of Wosendorf in 1904. The modern winery was built in 2004 near Rudi´s private home. After some initial wanderlust and the pursuit of various other interests – academic and commercial – Rudolf Pichler IV returned to the family winery with a seed of an idea. He had no formal training other than his memories of his grandfather and his instincts for great wine.

Tasting Notes

From extremely steep, southwest-exposed terraces with meagre, Gföhl gneiss soils, this is a mineral-pure Riesling, one that epitomizes a wine‘s authenticity and identity.

Food Pairing

Pair with teriyaki scallops, poached egg and sautéed chanterelle mushrooms sauce, or chicken topped with a pineapple honeydew melon salsa.

Vineyard & Production Info

Vineyard name:
Achleithen
Soil composition:
Gneiss and Rocky
Training method:
Cane-pruned
Elevation:
726-1,188 feet
Vines/acre:
1,800
Yield/acre:
1.2-2.16 tons
Exposure:
Southwestern
Harvest time:
ONovember

Winemaking & Aging

Varietal composition:
100% Riesling
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
14 days
Fermentation temperature:
64-72 °F
Maceration technique:
Cold Soak Maceration
Malolactic fermentation:
no
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of aging container:
Stainless steel tanks
Size of aging container:
1000-5000L
Length of aging before bottling:
7 months
Length of bottle aging:
1 month

Analytical Data

Acidity:
7.2 g/L
Alcohol:
13 %
Residual sugar:
1.7 g/L

About the Vineyard

Smaragd is the Wachau designation for dry late harvest wines, above 12.5% alcohol through natural fermentation.  The best smaragd wines can age well for decades. From extremely steep, southwest-exposed terraces with meagre, Gföhl gneiss soils, this is a mineral-pure Riesling, one that epitomizes a wine’s authenticity and identity.