“Grüner Veltliner is a diva, and Riesling is a masochist,” says Sophie Bodenstein of the environs in which these varieties thrive in the Danube Valley. It’s little surprise to see her anthropomorphise these grapes; not only are they hugely expressive in the Wachau’s amazing vineyards, but Sophie herself is a vibrantly perceptive people person.
This standout estate aims to make “archetypal, one-of-a-kind wines that clearly reflect their origin”, she tells us. It succeeds. “Clean, straight, precise and linear” is the style, and the Nahe producer Dönnhoff is an inspiration and kindred spirit. The winery is all stainless steel, but there is absolutely nothing sterile about what comes out of it. For all their pinpoint purity, these are soul-stirring, kaleidoscopic wines.
Sophie and her husband, Robert Bodenstein, took the reins in 2020, though Robert’s parents, Toni and Ilse, remain very much in the picture. The hallmarks remain, and it is a mouthwatering proposition to witness the flair with which this new generation carries the flame.
These Prager wines will stop you in your tracks. Some new reviews offer additional insight and are worth reading for a sense of the entrancing detail woven through such classically unadorned whites.
2022 Prager Riesling ‘Steinriegl’ Federspiel RRP $93
Federspiel is a purely Wachau wine, fermented dry, with an alcohol level between 11.5% and 12.5%. Steinriegl is the name of the vineyard sourced for this wine. It’s a 12-acre site at an altitude of around 300m on calcareous, rocky and silty loam soils. Coming from the northern side of the Valley, where there is much more chalk, the Riesling Steinriegl has a texture one would find in Sancerre. The wine is fermented and matured in stainless steel to deliver an utterly pure, clean, fragrant expression of its origin.
This is a fresh and elegant riesling expressing aromas of white lavender, cedro peel, grapefruit and chalk. It’s medium-bodied, sharp in acidity and linear, with a chalky minerality. So crisp and precise. Sustainable. Drink or hold. Screw cap. 93 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com Oct 2023
2022 Prager Riesling Achleiten Smaragd RRP $190
Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers. Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have a minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks. Achleiten sits east of Weissenkirchen and is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau. The steeply terraced vineyard existed in Roman times. Some sections have just 40 cm of topsoil over the bedrock of Gföler Gneiss, amphibolitic stone, and slate. “Destroyed soil,” as Toni Bodenstein likes to say.
Riesling is often defined by elevated levels of dry extract, thanks to a lengthy ripening period and freshness due to dramatic temperature swings between day and night. Wines from Achleiten’s highly complex soils are famously marked by a mineral note of flint or gun smoke, are intensely flavoured, and reliably long-lived.
Riesling’s high acidity makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. Riesling can cut the fattiness of foods such as pork or sausages and tame some saltiness. Conversely, it can highlight foods such as fish or vegetables in the same way a squeeze of lemon or a vinaigrette might. – Prager
Light greenish yellow, silver reflections. Fine floral nuances, white peach, a hint of lime, inviting bouquet. Taut, tight-knit, white apple, fine, vibrant acidity, lively and mineral, soft notes of baby pineapple on the finish, very enjoyable style with length and ageing potential. 96–98 points. Peter Moser, Falstaff July 2023
White peach, lime, mint, white flowers, lemongrass, white pepper. It’s spicy and tight, a super ‘mineral’ feel here, stony and flinty, a little parmesan rind savoury flourish, bright and crisp, with a juicy fresh pineapple finish of terrific length. This has the sizzle and the sausage. It’s a great wine. 96 points. Gary Walsh, The Winefront Apr 2026
2021 Prager Riesling ‘Achleiten’ Smaragd RRP $150
A vineyard that is famous for wines with an inimitable mineral character. Dry stone walls dating back to the 12th century, which mount the steep slopes with their silicate-rich soil, dominate this vineyard’s landscape. In the upper terraces, gneiss is the prevailing subsoil; in the lower terraces, dark, schistous amphibolites dominate.
Very enticing nose of white peach and fresh mint with a hint of white flowers. At once succulent and delicate, this is a joyful Wachau riesling that has such wonderful harmony it should appeal to anyone looking for great dry white wine. Super-elegant and very long finish with delicate wet-stone minerality. Drink or hold. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com Nov 2022
Green mango, peach, star fruit, mint, floral notes. It’s juicy, leaning towards tropical in flavour. some cumquat marmalade, and quite exotic, yet it’s tight and stony too with such grip and tension, even though there’s a boldness and intensity to the wine. There’s something a little savoury here too, a geosmin root vegetable thing, a little spice and white pepper, with a spicy finish of super length and light grip. So distinctive and good. 96 points. Gary Walsh, The Winefront Apr 2026
This is built for the long term, but is already delicious. 97 points.
Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com
2021 Prager Riesling ‘Klaus’ Smaragd RRP $164
Klaus sits adjacent to Achleiten and is one of the Wachau’s most famous vineyards for Riesling. The vineyard is incredibly steep with a gradient of 77% at its steepest point. The southeast-facing terraced vineyard of dark migmatite-amphibolite and paragneiss produces a tightly wound and powerful wine. The parcel belonging to Toni Bodenstein was planted in 1952.
Austrian Riesling is often defined by elevated levels of dry extract, thanks to a lengthy ripening period, and by freshness, due to dramatic temperature swings between day and night. “Klaus is not a charming Riesling,” says Toni Bodenstein with a wink. Klaus is Prager’s most assertive and robust Riesling.
Riesling’s high acidity makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. Riesling can cut the fattiness of foods such as pork or sausages and tame some saltiness. Conversely, it can highlight foods.
Enticing and subtle nose of Yamanashi white peach, wild berries and herbs. Ripe, but also seriously concentrated and elegant, this has deep minerality at the very long and focused finish. This is built for the long term, but is already really delicious. Drink or hold. 97 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com Nov 2022
This vineyard planted in 1952. So much flavour here. Lime and peach, green herbs, petrol and dried mint, and kind of spicy and peppery too. It’s glossy and viscous, a tangerine tang, but also very stony and dry, a whole lot of extract and grip, almond and juicy citrus, with a finish of superb length. Such a powerful Riesling, and curious in its power. My word. It’s Chardonnay level in weight, yet all the Riesling things in flavour along with some sake nuttiness. Hello! 95+ points. Gary Walsh, The Winefront Apr 2026
2021 Prager Riesling ‘Achleiten’ Auslese 500ml RRP $164
Unlike Franz Prager, both Toni & Robert Bodenstein don’t shy away from sweetness in wines if the conditions call for a little bit of balancing residual sugar. However, the majority of wines produced at the estate are still bone-dry, with the hallmark lacy, filigreed acidity.
This seldom-seen Auslese from the Prager crew perfectly marries the purity & acidity associated with Riesling grown on the stunning terraces of the Achleiten vineyard with only a touch of balancing residual sugar (around 35-40g/l), adding complexity and texture rather than overt sweetness to the final wine.
Perfectly clean, botrytis-free grapes are selected over several passes through the different plots of Achleiten to make this stunning Auslese that exhibits wonderful floral aromatics coupled with orange zest and ginger. Simply a great, albeit slightly different than normal, expression of the fable rocky Achleiten terroir.
A sort of pimento and cinnamon spice, candied lime, fresh pineapple, cheese twist or some sort of grilled and slightly burnt cheese. It’s bright and juicy, spicy with crystallized ginger, with a stony finish of great length. And for all that, it doesn’t taste too sweet, indeed, it’s kind of savoury and very good it is too. 95 points. Gary Walsh, The Winefront Apr 2026
…a very elegant good companion. 97-99 points.
Peter Moser, Falstaff Magazine
2022 Prager Grüner Veltliner Wachstum Bodenstein Smaragd RRP $190
Wachstum, meaning “Growth” or “Cru,” is a nursery for Toni Bodenstein, who planted 110 different clones of Grüner Veltliner in an abandoned terrace at the top of Achleiten. When initially planted in 1997, the goal of Wachstum Bodenstein was to preserve biodiversity. It is now one of Prager’s most sought-after wines.
Prager’s stylistic signature is that of aromatic complexity coupled with power and tension. High-density planting and long hang times ensure ripe fruit flavours and concentration, yet allowing leaves to shade the fruit lends vibrant aromatics of grasses, herbs, and wildflowers. Minerality is a constant feature of any Prager wine.
With a minimum alcohol content of 12.5%, Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is a robust, full-bodied dry white wine. Its intensity of flavour and ripeness of fruit make it ideal with high-integrity ingredients such as seared white fish or sautéed spring vegetables. Grüner Veltliner is a classic accompaniment to Wiener Schnitzel. – Prager
Light greenish yellow, silver reflections. Fine yellow tropical fruit, delicate mango and melon, candied orange zest, a touch of honey blossom, fine smoky-tobacco savouriness. Juicy, fine fruit sweetness, complex, pleasant yellow fruit, harmonious and long lasting, a very elegant food companion, salty finish, certain aging potential. 97–99 points. Peter Moser, Falstaff July 2023
I like the Asian pear and five spice exotic elements here, along with pomelo rind and papaya fruit. White flowers. While youthful this has such aromatic complexity. Full-bodied, textured and coating yet so light-footed, elegant and sleek-feeling. Sustainable. Drink or hold. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com Oct 2023
2022 Prager Grüner Veltliner Achleiten Smaragd RRP $190
Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have a minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks. Ried Achleiten sits east of Weissenkirchen and is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau. The steeply terraced vineyard has existed since Roman times. Some sections have just 40 cm of topsoil over the bedrock of Gföhler Gneiss, amphibolitic stone, and slate. “Destroyed soil,” as Toni Bodenstein likes to say.
Prager’s stylistic signature is that of aromatic complexity coupled with power and tension. High-density planting and long hang times ensure ripe fruit flavours and concentration, yet allowing leaves to shade the fruit lends vibrant aromatics of grasses, herbs, and wildflowers. Minerality is a constant feature of any Prager wine.
With a minimum alcohol content of 12.5%, Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is a robust, full-bodied dry white wine. Its intensity of flavour and ripeness of fruit make it ideal with high-integrity ingredients such as seared white fish or sautéed spring vegetables. Grüner Veltliner is a classic accompaniment to Wiener Schnitzel. – Prager
Light yellow-green, silver reflections. Fine yellow apple fruit, a touch of meadow herbs, delicate mango and honeydew melon, subtle lime touch, light smoky note. Juicy, elegant, fine nuances of white stone fruit, finesse-rich acidity, mineral-salty, remains long lasting, a multi-faceted companion at the table. 97 points. Peter Moser, Falstaff July 2023
This has attractive peach and pear aromas married with grilled rosemary and flint. Creamy and full-bodied, with a chalky freshness and pithy texture that gives plenty of mouthfeel. Cool and mineral finish. Sustainable. Drink or hold. 94 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com Oct 2023
