What a gorgeous discovery this has been. Franz-Josef Gansberger – Goose to his friends – told us about his girlfriend’s wines when he was out here representing Weingut Stadt Krems for Riesling Downunder. We were drawn in by images of these divine vineyards of the Weinviertel – Austria’s largest and most diverse wine-growing area – and the story of a woman whose heart led her back from a high-flying marketing career to her grandmother’s vineyards.
Ingrid Groiss is back where she belongs, in the small village of Breitenwaida, where her young self gambolled among the vines while her family made wine for their own Heuriger (tavern). The exciting steps towards quality in the Weinviertel helped persuade her to make a life of her love. She enrolled in Viticulture, Oenology and Wine Marketing at the University of Vienna and during those studies gained experience with producers such as Domäne Wachau, Birgit Braunstein and Birgit Eichinger.
At home, she had to play second fiddle to her chief winemaker dad – a source of frustration, since she was itching to take things up a notch. In 2010 she urged granny to hand her a plot to of her own and went head-to-head with her old man. Whoever made the best wine got to take the helm. Needless to say Ingrid came out on top in the blind taste-off, and her parents are delighted to see her flourish.
All deft touch and instinct, Ingrid’s philosophy in grounded on this love of these mature family vineyards. She picks by hand in several passes through the vineyards and ferments the juice using mainly ambient yeast. Oak is only a minor feature, but she makes the most of the fermentation lees to give texture and depth to her wines.
Bright, pretty and full of life, the wines of Ingrid Groiss are as at home in our portfolio as she is in Breitenwaida.
2015 Groiss Grüner Veltliner Weinviertel DAC RRP $31
90 points, Wine Enthusiast
100% Grüner Veltliner grown on soils of ferruginous and calcareous loess. Selective harvesting at the end of October, picked by hand over several passes through the vineyard. Four hours’ skin contact. Gentle pressing without stems. Fermented with both indigenous and neutral yeasts. Aged on the full lees in stainless steel tank until bottling in February 2016.
Alcohol: 12.5%; Residual sugar: 2g/L; Acidity: 6.3g/L
Tasting: Shiny golden with green hints, aromas of white blossom fresh, juicy yellow fruits, Golden Delicious apple and ripe pomegranate. It’s full-bodied with a stony mineral note on the palate. Lively structure and acidity. Finishes long and juicy.
2015 Groiss Gemischter Satz Weinviertel RRP $34
92 points, Wine Enthusiast
Varieties: Gemischter Satz is a wine from different grape varieties that are grown together on the one vineyard. The grapes are harvested and processed together. It’s the most traditional way of planting in Austria. Among the varieties in the Gemischter Satz are Chardonnay, Müller Thurgau, Welschriesling, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Frühroter Veltliner, Neuburger, Zierfandler, Rotgipfler, Scheurebe, Roter Veltliner, Grauer Vöslauer, Hietl Rote, Weisse Vöslauer and Silberweisse.
Selectively hand-harvested over several passes, at the end of October, from plots on chalky conglomerate soils. Given five hours of skin contact before gentle pressing without stems. Fermented in stainless steel with a combination of neutral and indigenous yeasts and given three months on full lees.
Alcohol: 12.5%; Residual sugar: 3.8g/L (dry); Acidity: 7.4 g/L
Tasting: Complex, ripe aromas of quince, yellow plum and citrus. White blossom and lovely peach. Then fruit purity on the palate with just a touch of apricot. Bright, lively and long.
