Keeping the Roots, Shifting the Style: Reimagining Wachau Wines with Mathias Hirtzberger

In this episode of the No Sediment Wine Podcast, I sit down with Mathias Hirtzberger, the next-generation winemaker from Wachau, Austria, to discuss his path from corporate world back to Wachau and why he started Weinhofmeisterei Hirtzberger apart from his famous family estate. We talk working with Riesling and Grüner Veltliner in a warming climate, Wachau’s varied soils, and his near-organic farming. Mathias explains how he crafts fresher, earlier-drinking Smaragd, where he draws the line on botrytis and oak, and how climate, terroir, and family tradition guide his modern Wachau wines.You can also listen to the No Sediment Wine Podcast episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts and Castbox.Some of the WINE ACCESSORIES I use regularly:🍷 My Everyday Go-To Wine Glass: https://amzn.to/3OAQAcW🥂 My Favorite Champagne Wine Glass: https://amzn.to/3qhMLRF🥂 One of My Favorite Wine Glasses: https://amzn.to/3uG8Nfc🧳 The Best Wine Suitcase: https://bit.ly/3Zlzuoq (Use code NOSEDIMENT10 for 10% discount)🗜️ I Preserve My Wines with CORAVIN: https://amzn.to/3O1AYPS🪡 CORAVIN Vintage Needle: https://amzn.to/4eVf8bl🐚 CORAVIN Gas Capsules: https://amzn.to/4eVf8bl🍾 I Safely Open Older Bottles with This Cork Puller: https://amzn.to/3iBrFZZ🍾 The Durand Cork Puller: https://amzn.to/3ZuRWfv🏳️ I Polish My Wine Glasses with This Cloth: https://amzn.to/3izWJcx 🪣 My Favorite Wine Chiller: https://amzn.to/4eVf8bl👝 I Safely Transport Bottles With This Sleeve: https://bit.ly/3B8lFBQ📚 Some of my favorite WINE BOOKS: 📙 Native Wine Grapes of Italy by Ian D'Agata: https://amzn.to/4ggqM1P📗 The Wines of Piemonte by David Way: https://amzn.to/4igXrG4📓 Flawless: Understanding Faults in Wine by Jamie Goode: https://amzn.to/3eb7AYP📒Understanding Wine Technology: The Science of Wine Explained by David Bird: https://amzn.to/3e2qBNb📕 Authentic Wine: Toward Natural and Sustainable Winemaking (by Jamie Goode): https://amzn.to/3ygtuAC📘 The Oxford Companion to Wine (by Jancis Robinson): https://amzn.to/49Wwe7V📙 Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours (by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz): https://amzn.to/3RCAheM📗 A Life Uncorked (by Hugh Johnson): https://amzn.to/3M5yeyQ📓 Drinking with the Valkyries (by Andrew Jefford): https://amzn.to/45mGBOGBe sure to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@NoSediment, as I am posting weekly videos on all things wine and monthly wine podcast episodes. **LET’S CONNECT: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blancdenoir/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/blancdenoir TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nosediment #wineeducation #winepodcast #wine *CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO00:00 Introduction1:59  Mathias’ wine journey and how Weinhofmeisterei Hirtzberger began6:44  Agnese’s first encounter with Hirtzberger wines8:25  Biggest challenges in launching a winery from scratch9:48  What Mathias kept from family tradition—and what he now does differently in vineyard and cellar14:27  Does Mathias ever allow Botrytis in his wines?17:22  Beyond Riesling & Grüner Veltliner: other grapes in the lineup20:05  Single-vineyard bottlings at Weinhofmeisterei Hirtzberger—what makes them distinctive29:41  Viticultural hurdles for Riesling & Grüner Veltliner in Wachau32:04  Why Wachau’s historic stone walls matter35:10  Mathias’ winemaking philosophy in a nutshell37:32  Why his Smaragd wines are approachable early39:58  Taming Grüner Veltliner phenolics—Mathias’s approach43:19  How (and when) Mathias uses oak44:19  The ongoing importance of Vinea Wachau50:39  Debunking a common wine myth52:23  Mathias answers the previous guest’s questionAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.