Peter Veyder-Malberg has spent nearly two decades rebuilding the abandoned terraces of the Wachau by hand. His four-hectare estate in the Spitzer Graben, the appellation’s coldest corridor, produces fewer than a thousand cases a year of riesling and grüner veltliner from some of the steepest, most labor-intensive vineyards in Austria. He farms organically, ferments with indigenous yeasts, and has opted out of the region’s traditional classification in favor of single-site expression.
Brandstatt is Peter’s most personal project: a steep, south-facing vineyard in Elsarn at roughly 450 meters above sea level, on pure mica schist. When he bought the half-hectare plot in January 2009, it had been cleared and abandoned for years, its ancient stone walls crumbling under brush and wild vines. He planted riesling beginning in spring 2010, releasing the first vintage in 2015. Grapes here ripen about two weeks later than in nearby Buschenberg, and Peter's winemaking here follows older Wachau traditions: extended contact with the skins before pressing, and long aging in local acacia barrels.
The 2024 Brandstatt is uncompromising in the best sense, shaped by the extreme altitude and pure mica schist of one of the Wachau’s most demanding sites. Taut and mineral-driven, with gleaming acidity and a finish that unfolds slowly. Lemon blossom and wet slate on the nose, with crystalline tension that lingers long after the last sip.
