In the mid 1970's, Leo Alzinger Sr inherited his family's winery, which at that point was growing grapes and selling them to the local cooperative in Loiben. It wasn't until 1983 that Leo stepped away from the co-op and began producing his own wines from his estate vineyards. It gave him the opportunity to develop his own personal winemaking style, which has hardly changed to this day; precision, clarity, directness, elegance, and liveliness are just some of the characteristics that have been associated with his wines since early in his career.
The estate is now in the hands of Leo's son, Leo Alzinger Jr. Leo trained in viticulture and winemaking in Germany (Klosterberg) and studied under the great German winemaker Hans Gunter Schwarz at Weingut (domaine) Muller-Catoir before coming back to the Wachau and the remarkable vineyards of Alzinger's estate.
Alzinger owns part of two of the great vineyards of the Wachau - Loibenberg and Steinertal - and they grow both Riesling and Gruner Veltliner in these vineyards. Along with a number of other single vineyard wines (Mulphoin, Liebenberg), plus their Durnstein and Reserve wines, Leo Alzinger is able to show a remarkable expression of the different micro climate, soils and terroirs of the Wachau. Each wine stands alone, but as part of a whole.
Alzinger's Gruner Veltliner Steinertal is an extremely complex vineyard that offers optimal terrain for both Veltliner and Riesling. The foundation of the Veltliner lies in the lower and more profound...
From the central, loess-dominated part of the famous cru, Alzinger's 2018 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Loibenberg opens with a very delicate and elegant bouquet of ripe fruits intermixed with a...
Alzinger's Gruner Veltliner Steinertal is an extremely complex vineyard that offers optimal terrain for both Veltliner and Riesling. The foundation of the Veltliner lies in the lower and more profound...
From one of the coolest plots of the cru ("Rauheneck") that is already shadowed in the afternoon, the 2018 Riesling Smaragd Ried Loibenberg is beautifully clear and fine on the...
This entry-level Riesling from Alzinger shows so well the distinctness of Wachau Riesling. Always crystal clear, stimulating and extremely drinkable (glug glug), it's loaded with stone fruit, herbs and citrus...
The entry-level Gruner Veltliner from famed Weingut Alzinger is an amazing value. White flowers, lime and spice notes on the nose, with balanced acidity and an appealing saline note on...
This single-vineyard Gruner is elegant and dynamic, with tons of spice, salinity and tropical fruit aromas. The palate is lively and tense, with cool fruit flavours and great acidity, which...
This single-vineyard Gruner is elegant and dynamic, with tons of spice, salinity and tropical fruit aromas. The palate is lively and tense, with cool fruit flavours and great acidity, which...