| Region of production: | Kamptal |
| Winery Location: | Langenlois |
| Year Established: | 1856 |
Vineyard Holdings
28 ha
- Thal: sandy loess and loam
- Kittmansberg: loam soil with layers of loess
- Steinhaus: gneiss with amphibolite
- Gaisberg: sandy, weathered soils; planted to Riesling
- Heiligenstein: planted to Riesling vines 30-50 years-old
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Grüner Veltliner Federspiel
- Grüner Veltliner Thal
- Grüner Veltliner Kittmansberg
- Grüner Veltliner “Maximum”: multiple selections of their best vineyards
- Riesling Urgestein
- Riesling Steinhaus
- Riesling Gaisberg
- Riesling Heiligenstein
- Riesling “Maximum”: multiple selections of their best vineyards
Average Total Production
- 198,000 bottles
Summary
Ludwig Hiedler is the fourth generation of Hiedlers that have made wine in Langenlois since the mid-nineteenth century. The estate has been in the hands of Ludwig and his wife since 1980, and under direct management since 1988. The farming and winemaking philosophies have both changed gradually over the past decade; Ludwig began experimenting with organic farming in the Thal and Kittmansberg vineyards and has slowly implemented the practice throughout others. In more recent years Ludwig has also stopped using commercial yeasts, preferring spontaneous fermentations without temperature control or additives. The wines are considered more oxidative in style, and an outlier from the classic Austrian style. The Hiedlers were one of the founders of the Traditionsweingüter Österreich.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Grapes are hand harvested, but not whole cluster pressed, as Ludwig feels whole cluster pressing causes a loss of extract in the wine. Though commercial yeasts were used for a long time, fermentations now begin by indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation is not blocked if it begins. Wines age in stainless steel or casks made from Langenlois acacia and typically see extended lees aging and selective bâtonnage.
Producer Website: Hiedler