Fritz Salomon, Gut Oberstockstall, Kirchberg am Wagram, Lower Austria, and a very different Salomon from the Kremstal one I wrongly guessed at before. Fritz and Birgit run the estate, about 15 hectares farmed organically, with a cellar door, a tasting room and rooms to stay in, plus apricot nectar and grape juices on the side. This is a proper farm-and-wine setup, with a pop-up Heuriger in summer for good measure.
Wagram is loess country, and Fritz makes the most of it. Grüner Veltliner shows up as Urquell, Riesling as Tobel, and Roter Veltliner, the rare, old Austrian grape most people have never tried, as Halterhaus. Roter Veltliner is the one to chase, a grape with real personality that deserves far more attention than it gets.
The natural wine side is where it gets fun. A Zweigelt pet nat. An orange wine. Silecht, a rosé blend of Zweigelt and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon. Then a bottle-fermented Brut Nature from Schloss Kirchberg, a Reserve built on Chardonnay, Weissburgunder and Blauburgunder, which tells you he's serious about sparkling too, not just playing around with funky ferments.
What I like is that none of it feels forced. Grapes handled with a light touch, regional varieties given room to speak, and a family estate that makes space for visitors to actually come and hang out. A wine farm, not a wine brand.
Wagram doesn't always get the airtime of its Danube neighbours. Fritz Salomon is a very good reason to pay attention.
Fritz Salomon, Gut Oberstockstall, Kirchberg am Wagram, Lower Austria, and a very different Salomon from the Kremstal one I wrongly guessed at before. Fritz and Birgit run the estate, about 15 hectares farmed organically, with a cellar door, a tasting room and rooms to stay in, plus apricot nectar and grape juices on the side. This is a proper farm-and-wine setup, with a pop-up Heuriger in summer for good measure.
Wagram is loess country, and Fritz makes the most of it. Grüner Veltliner shows up as Urquell, Riesling as Tobel, and Roter Veltliner, the rare, old Austrian grape most people have never tried, as Halterhaus. Roter Veltliner is the one to chase, a grape with real personality that deserves far more attention than it gets.
The natural wine side is where it gets fun. A Zweigelt pet nat. An orange wine. Silecht, a rosé blend of Zweigelt and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon. Then a bottle-fermented Brut Nature from Schloss Kirchberg, a Reserve built on Chardonnay, Weissburgunder and Blauburgunder, which tells you he's serious about sparkling too, not just playing around with funky ferments.
What I like is that none of it feels forced. Grapes handled with a light touch, regional varieties given room to speak, and a family estate that makes space for visitors to actually come and hang out. A wine farm, not a wine brand.
Wagram doesn't always get the airtime of its Danube neighbours. Fritz Salomon is a very good reason to pay attention.
