The Wachau is often associated first with Grüner Veltliner and then with Riesling. It is more likely, however, that Riesling was grown here much earlier. And it is possible that one of the first places was the one that now belongs to the Prager winery: in 1302 - when the building "am chling im ritzling gelegen, dem kloster michaelbeuern, gehörig, mit der schiffmühle in pertinenz" was first mentioned in a document - the name "Ritzling" is also thought to be the origin of Riesling in the Wachau.
720 years later, this variety is still cultivated there, along with the aforementioned Grüner Veltliner. Both grape varieties produce outstanding white wines full of character. And this in combination with excellent sites, which the trained geologist Toni Bodenstein - if he had not already found them - collected early on according to the quality of the soil. The vineyards of the Prager winery are mainly located in the Achleiten vineyard in the municipality of Weißenkirchen. The wines are classically vinified according to the criteria "Federspiel" and "Smaragd". Two great specialities of the winery, which produces some of the best and truly timeless wines of the Wachau in a balance between tradition and innovation, are those with the name "Wachstum Bodenstein".
When Toni Bodenstein married Ilse Prager in the early 1980s, it was a rather unusual marriage for a Wachau winery. The husband was a geologist, i.e. a soil scientist, but not a winemaker. When the couple took over the winery in 1990, Toni Bodenstein began a project that made his critics in the region shake their heads.
He planted vineyards up to 500 metres above sea level with vines of the most diverse, old genetics. He started with Riesling and later continued with Grüner Veltliner. The vines all come from so-called „selection massales“, where the vines are propagated naturally and not as clones of the same genetics, as is usually the case. He wanted to secure and increase the gene pool of the two grape varieties, as many clones are now suffering from viruses and other diseases. In addition, a wide range of genetics in the vineyards not only leads to improved health of the entire vineyard, but also to a different depth of flavour.
Bodenstein has collected hundreds of different vines in Austria and Germany. The geologist, who has also been a winemaker for decades now, has long been celebrated for his foresight and the two wines, which were called „Wachstum Bodenstein“ until the 2021 vintage and are now just „Bodenstein“, are among the great wines of the Wachau.
© Images: Winery Prager
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