Bernhard Ott

Bernhard Ott wines

Bernhard Ott says of himself: 'Ich bin ein Veltliner' and is a household name in Austria: he is even called Mister Veltliner. This has to do with its not inconsiderable stature, but much more with the quality of its grüner felt liners. The company is located in Niederösterreich in the Wagram, almost against Kamptal and was founded in 1889. From the village of Feuersbrunn, which lies in the plain of the old Danube basin, the 'Kellergasse' runs up into the vineyards. The vineyards are therefore all close to the domain, usually in Wagram and a small part in Kamptal and are at an altitude between 200 and 350 meters. The soil consists mainly of loess fed by the wind, varying in depth from 1 to 20 meters and often mixed with gravel. Bernhard has been at the helm since 1993: he was 21 at the time, but his parents gave him the confidence to make the wines independently and they have not regretted it! For example, Bernhard was the first producer from Wagram in the Falstaff to be chosen as 'Winzer des Jahres' and his Rosenberg 2015 at Parker received 94-96 points.

Bernhard Ott's wine-growing land is about 30 hectares and is located in the small village of Feuersbrunn, which belongs to the municipality of Grafenwörth. It is one of the oldest and most important wine-growing areas in Lower Austria. The Danube flows from west to east and Vienna is 60 km away. 30 km away is St. Pölten, known for its wine and churches. The up to 40 meters high Wagram mountain range is located on both sides of the Danube and on the north side is a steep plain of ice age loess. Here are 7 km north of the Danube the 15 meter thick loess-'rieden '(Austrian for vineyards) of Bernhard Ott: Rosenberg, Spiegel, Vom Roten Schotter, Am Berg and Tausend Rosen. The climate is softly pannonic with the freshness of the forest area. Until 2007, the area was still part of the wine-growing region Weinviertel, but now the wine-growing area is called Wagram. Grüner Veltliner is mainly grown at Ott. It is the predominant species at 95%. Sauvignon and Riesling are also grown. As an added bonus, apricots are grown on 4 hectares and delivered to an exclusive restaurant in Munich. And the farmer and burner Hans Reisetbauer, known in Austria, turns it into apricot brandy. Bernhard Ott's wine-growing areas are 260-350 meters above sea level. They store a lot of water and the two large plots, Spiegel and Rosenberg, face south on the Feuersbrunner Hengstberg. Warm summer days, warm westerly winds and cool nights provide grapes with aromas, depth, minerals, elegance and finesse.

The Ott family has owned vineyards since 1889. The major breakthrough on the other side of the Alps and the enormous increase in quality came from switching to biodynamic agriculture. Bernhard Ott and his cellar master Günter Weisböck pay attention to closed cycles, sustainable planting of the vineyards and do not use heavy machinery. Humus is made from compost, grape marc, straw and wood for fertilizing. In the grüner veltliners by Bernhard Ott, the character of the terroir comes to the fore and they are full of minerals, shine, aromas and transparency. Ott himself thinks that the work in the vineyard is more important than that in the cellar and he says: “only the work in the vineyard is important. The vineyard is the source of quality, in the cellar only mistakes can be made. ”

Bernhard Ott considers sustainable wine preparation with little addition of sulfur and longer storage on the yeast important. He learned this when he was abroad. His new project was also influenced by the journeys he made; maturing wines in large pitchers. This method was used in classical times and still in Georgia. Bernhard Ott called his wine from pitchers 'Qvevre'.

Bernhard Ott's company has become one of the biggest names in the Austrian wine scene. His masterpieces are clear grüner field liners with many minerals, which can mature for a long time and have a long shelf life (top wines can be stored for 10 to 20 years). The wines can be found on the menus of the world's best restaurants. The wines are very pure and precise and have become more and more delicate and subtle over the past 15 years. Since 2006, work has been biologically dynamic.