Ried KÖGL 2023

Behind the old town of Stein, the south- to southeast-facing Ried Kögl rises in gentle steps up the slope of the Kreuzberg, reaching elevations of up to 390 meters. In places, the slope reaches gradients of up to 50 %, giving the terraced landscape a particularly striking appearance. Narrow dry-stone terraces protect the vineyards from erosion and lend the site its distinctive character. The vines root predominantly in barren, weathered mica schist, interspersed with individual layers of gneiss. Only in a few spots—such as the so-called “Kögl-Sutte” in the west or the upper slope of the eastern section—is the bedrock covered by a thin, calcareous loess layer. The distance of more than one kilometer from the Danube, comparable to that of the Loibenberg in the Wachau, ensures dry air in autumn, meaning that botrytis rarely occurs. The stony, nutrient-poor soils provide ideal conditions for Riesling, which predominates here. In the few loess areas, Grüner Veltliner also unfolds its distinctive character. The name “Kögl” derives from the Latin Cuculla (“monk’s hood”), a reference to the characteristic shape of the slope.