What it pairs with
-
Wachau pike-perch with crayfish butter
The wine's mineral depth and racy acidity are classic freshwater fish companions. -
Veal sweetbreads with lemon cream
Rich offal needs the wine's piercing acidity to balance; stone-fruit notes echo lemon-cream flavours. -
Aged Comte cheese
Nutty hard cheese resonates with the mineral backbone of the Riesling.
History
Hochrain is a grand-cru level terraced site above Wösendorf worked by the Pichler family estate (founded 1731, distinct from the F.X. Pichler estate in Loiben). Rudi Pichler introduced a modern winery in 2004 and the Hochrain Smaragd became the estate's top expression.
- 1995 — Hochrain Riesling Smaragd first bottled under the Rudi Pichler label
- 2004 — New gravity-flow winery opened at Wösendorf, improving precision in Hochrain vinification
Facts
- Producer
- Weingut Rudi Pichler
- Grapes
- Riesling
- Classification
- Wachau DAC
- Oak
- Stainless steel; no oak
- ABV
- 13.5%
- Price
- EUR 50-75 at retail
- Drinking window
- 5-18 from vintage
- First vintage
- 1995