Summary
Allram in Straß im Straßertale is one of the most respected addresses in the Kamptal. On around 30 hectares the Haas-Allram family farms vineyards in some of Lower Austria's finest sites – including holdings in three First Growths at once: Heiligenstein, Gaisberg and Renner. The focus is on dry white wines from Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, released as Kamptal DAC. Since 2015 the third generation, in the person of Lorenz Haas-Allram, has been responsible for the wines; with the 2023 vintage the estate was certified organic.
History
The estate's roots lie in the classic smallholding structure long typical of the Kamptal: a little arable land, some livestock and a few vineyards. The decisive step came in the post-war years, from the 1950s onwards, when grandfather Walter Allram turned the mixed farm into a pure wine estate – at first with a vineyard area in the low double-digit hectares.
His daughter Michaela Haas-Allram and her husband Erich Haas took over in the early 1990s and led the estate to the Austrian top tier over the following decades. They expanded the vineyard area considerably, invested in the First Growth sites and built up exports strongly – today a large share of the wines goes abroad.
In 2015 they handed responsibility for the wines to the next generation: Lorenz Haas-Allram, who had previously gained experience in the Pfalz, Styria and the Wachau as well as in New Zealand and South Africa. His sister Magdalena adds a younger line of wines to the range. In parallel the family converted the vineyards to organic farming; certification followed with the 2023 vintage.
Site & Terroir
Straß im Straßertale lies in the northern part of the Kamptal, the Lower Austrian region behind some of the country's finest dry white wines. The defining feature is the contrast between two climatic influences: cool, damp air from the Waldviertel to the north and warm, dry Pannonian air from the east. This alternation between warm days and cool nights makes for slow, aroma-preserving ripening and keeps the wines' lively acidity intact.
Just as important is the geological diversity. On the gentle slopes around Straß, deep loess soils dominate – the classic home of Grüner Veltliner, which turns out full, spicy and supple here. In the steeper sites near Zöbing and Kammern, by contrast, weathered primary rock and conglomerate soils come to the fore; the Zöbing Heiligenstein in particular is a geological curiosity with its desert sandstone and volcanic inclusions. These meagre, heat-storing soils produce the Riesling: taut, mineral and long-lived.
Style & Philosophy
Allram sees winemaking as work in the vineyard rather than in the cellar. Diverse cover crops between the rows, as few tractor passes as possible, the estate's own compost made from grape pomace and the renunciation of synthetic products are all meant to keep the soil alive – in the family's view the real foundation of site typicity.
In the cellar the approach is deliberately restrained: gentle pressing, in part longer skin contact, spontaneous or controlled fermentation at moderate temperatures, then ageing in stainless steel or – depending on the wine – in large oak casks. The aim is clear, precise wines without imposed aromatics: the Grüner Veltliner shows spice, white pepper and drive, the Riesling stone fruit, citrus and salty minerality. The range follows origin consistently – from regional wine through village wine to single-vineyard wine and Reserve.
Notable Vineyards & Wines
The family farms parcels in several of the Kamptal's best-known sites:
- Ried Heiligenstein (1ÖTW) – the cult site above Zöbing, the basis for a mineral, long-lived Riesling; the estate's parcel was replanted in 1998 after lying fallow for a long time
- Ried Gaisberg (1ÖTW) – primary rock terraces near Kammern, the source of both elegant Grüner Veltliner and the multiply awarded Riesling
- Ried Renner (1ÖTW) – at the western foot of the Gaisberg, chalky, loamy-sandy loess soil, home to a dense Grüner Veltliner
- Ried Wechselberg, Ried Hasel and Ried Rosengartl – the basis for village and regional wines with a clear Kamptal signature
Awards
The estate became internationally known when the Riesling Ried Gaisberg 1ÖTW 2016 won the coveted White Wine Trophy at the International Wine Challenge in London – one of the highest honours a white wine can receive in that competition. Allram has also featured consistently in the Austrian guides for years: the Grüner Veltliner Reserve Ried Gaisberg 2011, for instance, was rated 94 points by Falstaff. Together with membership of the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter, this underlines the estate's role as one of the most dependable addresses in the Kamptal.