Summary
Weingut Jurtschitsch in Langenlois is one of the best-known addresses in the Kamptal. Across around 62 hectares it produces cool, elegant, terroir-driven wines – above all Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from the great vineyards around Langenlois and Zöbing. What defines the estate is its uncompromisingly ecological signature: the vineyards are farmed certified-organic, with biodynamic and natural-wine elements, and the cellar work is deliberately restrained. Since around 2009 Alwin and Stefanie Jurtschitsch have carried the tradition-rich family estate into the present and made it one of the pioneers of the organic movement in Austria.
History
The roots of the estate reach deep into the history of Langenlois: parts of the cellars date from the 14th century, and since 1868 the estate has been in the hands of the Jurtschitsch family. Over generations it grew into one of the better-known producers of the Kamptal.
The decisive turning point of recent history came around 2009, when Alwin Jurtschitsch, together with his wife Stefanie (née Hasselbach, from a winemaking family in Rheinhessen), took over. The young couple converted the estate consistently to organic farming and gave the wines a new stylistic direction – towards more freshness, precision and terroir. In doing so, Jurtschitsch became one of the defining names of modern, ecologically minded Kamptal winemaking.
Location & Terroir
The Kamptal lies in the north-east of Lower Austria, along the river Kamp north of the Danube. Its climate is shaped by a striking contrast: warm Pannonian influences from the east meet cool air from the Waldviertel in the north. These large day-night temperature swings make for a long, slow ripening and preserve freshness and aroma – the basis of the cool, elegant Jurtschitsch wines.
The diversity of soils is decisive. The famous Zöbinger Heiligenstein consists of a rare primary rock with desert sandstone and volcanic inclusions and counts as one of Austria's great Riesling sites. Around it, loess, weathered rock and conglomerates shape the vineyards – loess brings full, spicy Grüner Veltliner, while lean primary-rock soils yield taut, mineral Rieslings.
Style & Philosophy
At the centre of the work stands the soil: the vineyards are farmed certified-organic, complemented by biodynamic and natural-wine elements. Cover crops, the avoidance of synthetic products and a great deal of hand work are meant to create living, balanced vineyards. In the cellar the estate relies on wild fermentation with the vineyards' own yeasts and minimal intervention – little sulphur, long lees contact, and patience rather than technology.
The result is wines with a clear sense of origin: cool, elegant and taut, with fine minerality and drinkability. Alongside the classic single-vineyard wines, the estate also makes more experimental, natural-leaning cuvées, with which Alwin and Stefanie Jurtschitsch reinforce their reputation as boundary-crossers between tradition and avant-garde.
Notable Vineyards & Wines
The range is clearly tiered: from accessible estate and village wines up to the great Erste-Lage vineyards in the ranking of the ÖTW. Among the estate's most important sites are:
- Ried Zöbinger Heiligenstein – the famous primary-rock site, home of great Rieslings
- Ried Käferberg – loess and weathered rock, for powerful Grüner Veltliner
- Ried Loiserberg – cool and mineral in character
- Ried Dechant and Ried Lamm – classic top Kamptal sites
- Ried Schenkenbichl
The wines from these vineyards regularly rank among the most expressive Grüner Veltliner and Rieslings of the Kamptal.
Awards
Since the realignment, Jurtschitsch has consistently gathered high scores in the leading wine guides and tastings, including regularly at Falstaff. The estate is today regarded as one of the flagships for organically produced Kamptal wine – and has done much to ensure that organic and natural wine are no longer a niche topic in the region, but part of the self-image of a new generation of winemakers.