At A Glance
In Spitz, in the Wachau of Lower Austria, Weingut Franz Hirtzberger works 20 hectares of terraces, with Riesling and Grüner Veltliner each making up 40% of production. South-facing sites including Singerriedel, Honivogl, Rotes Tor and Hochrain turn those two grapes into dry wines labelled by both vineyard and Vinea Wachau ripeness tier.
The Producer
The Hirtzberger family has grown wine in Spitz for five generations, from a farm it traces to the 13th century. Its historic Lesehof is among the oldest Wachau wineries still operating, while the present range is firmly rooted in vineyard names: Singerriedel for Riesling Smaragd, Honivogl for top Grüner Veltliner, and Rotes Tor for Grüner Veltliner in both Federspiel and Smaragd form.
Place
Spitz sits in the Wachau, where steep terraces divide the estate’s Riesling and Grüner Veltliner into named sites rather than one undifferentiated regional wine. Rotes Tor on a label therefore points to a vineyard context, while Federspiel and Smaragd indicate dry-wine tiers: Federspiel sits at 11.5–12.5% alcohol, and Smaragd covers ripe dry wines above 12.5%.
Soil And Site
Honivogl, Singerriedel, Rotes Tor and Hochrain are south-facing slopes on primary rock, an exposure and ground combination the estate follows closely in its cultivation. At Rotes Tor, gneiss, mica, schist and brown earth form the soil picture beneath Grüner Veltliner, linking the site’s stony setting to the wine’s mineral-salty character.
Story
Franz Hirtzberger the elder identified the family’s best single-vineyard terraces and helped found Vinea Wachau, the regional body whose dry-wine categories still frame the labels. In 1983, the second Franz Hirtzberger took charge of the family’s 20 hectares; the estate’s work has since remained focused on putting Riesling and Grüner Veltliner from those terraces into site-specific bottles. Franz Hirtzberger the third works in the vineyards and is responsible for the cellar.
Vineyards And Cellar
Natural cultivation and attention to each terrace’s geology and climate guide the vineyard work, with grapes selectively harvested by hand. Fermentation begins in stainless steel. General accounts of the cellar describe maturation in a combination of old oak casks and stainless-steel tanks, a practical approach that keeps the fruit and dry structure at the centre rather than making overt oak the defining flavour.
Wines
The range begins with two grapes of equal weight: Riesling and Grüner Veltliner each account for 40% of production. Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Neuburger and Muscat broaden the cellar, but the principal bottles are organised around the major Wachau pair and named terraces. Singerriedel Riesling appears as Smaragd; Honivogl is the estate’s leading Grüner Veltliner site; Rotes Tor Grüner Veltliner appears in both Federspiel and Smaragd.
Those names answer different questions on the label. Singerriedel, Honivogl and Rotes Tor tell where the grapes grew, while Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd describe dry wines at increasing ripeness and alcohol levels. Steinfeder is the lightest tier, at up to 11.5% alcohol. Federspiel has more weight at 11.5–12.5%, and Smaragd brings a fuller dry structure above 12.5%.
In The Glass
The 2023 Rotes Tor Grüner Veltliner Smaragd opens with ripe green pear, then moves toward yellow stone fruit and golden pear skin. Pepper adds lift to the fruit, while fresh acidity keeps the palate dry rather than broad or sweet. Its texture is long and spicy, with mineral-salty notes carrying through the finish; the fuller Smaragd tier supplies body, while the Rotes Tor site keeps the wine pointed toward citrus, fruit skin and stone.
A Bottle To Understand It
Start with Grüner Veltliner Rotes Tor Smaragd. It brings together a core Hirtzberger grape, a named south-facing Spitz vineyard and the estate’s fuller dry-wine tier in one bottle. The 2023 shows pear, yellow stone fruit, pepper, fresh acidity and a dry mineral-salty finish, so it makes the vineyard name and the Smaragd designation legible at the table without leaving Grüner Veltliner behind.
Anecdote
In 2016, Franz Hirtzberger received the Vineus Award for his life’s work. The award went to a grower from the Hirtzberger family estate in Spitz, where the family says it has cultivated vines for five generations on a farm dating to the 13th century. By then, the estate’s vineyards covered 20 hectares of terraces, and the second Franz Hirtzberger had overseen them since 1983. The award named one person, but it was presented within a family operation whose bottles still carry vineyard names including Singerriedel, Honivogl and Rotes Tor.
Final Word
Hirtzberger is most useful to approach through the link between a terrace name, a grape and a dry Wachau tier: Riesling at Singerriedel, Grüner Veltliner at Honivogl, or Rotes Tor in Federspiel and Smaragd.
Sources
- www.vinea-wachau.at/en/mywachau/companies/company-details/myw_company/weingut-franz-hirtzberger
- www.lower-austria.info/infrastructure/weingut-franz-hirtzberger
- hirtzberger.at/index.php?article_id=2&clang=1
- www.cb-weinhandel.de/de/franz-hirtzberger--gruener-veltliner-rotes-tor-smaragd-2023.html
- www.gajadistribuzione.it/prodotto/gruner-veltliner-smaragd-rotes-tor
- www.vinography.com/2012/07/weingut_franz_hirtzberger_wach?amp=1
- cellarhand.com.au/producers/franz-hirtzberger