We share our brilliant experience of discovering the ‘real’ Wachau wine region with local experts ‘Wachaupur’

The Wachau in Niederösterreich - or Lower Austria -  is Austria’s most famous wine region and one of the most famous wine regions in the world.  It produces some incredibly fine wines, but is also known for its stunning scenery and intriguing history - in fact it’s the perfect wine tourism destination!

The Wachau Valley with its wines, gastronomy, vineyards, apricot orchards, wine towns and villages, historic monuments and of course the glorious River Danube is a must visit for any wine, food and culture enthusiast! 

We have had the good fortune to visit the Wachau on several occasions and never tire of its beauty and charm, as well as of course its food and wines! This last time we visited, we decided to join Martin Wicke of Wachaupur guided tours to discover more about this beautiful wine region, benefiting from his vast knowledge and experience.

Read - and watch the video below - about our amazing ‘Wachau Pur’ guided tour with Martin and see what we discovered! Exploring the Wachau through Martin’s eyes was a joy for us and we saw, experienced and learned so much more during this wonderful half-day guided tour than we would have ever done exploring on our own!

Watch the video here:

Austria’s Wachau Valley wine region: an introduction

The Wachau is unarguably Austria’s most famous wine region, despite representing less than 5% of its vineyards. The Wachau Valley - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - is made up of an 18 miles stretch along the majestic River Danube (or ‘Donau’ in French), nestled between the historic towns of Krems and Melk, just an hour’s drive west of Vienna. It is typified by steeply terraced, vine-covered hillsides, apricot orchards, historic castles and fortresses, chocolate-box towns and villages and of course the beautiful River Danube. 

There are some highly reputable winemakers and wineries along the Wachau Valley, producing world-class Grüner Veltliner and Riesling wines. Combined with the fabulous gastronomy and excellent restaurants, this really is a magical place to visit and spend a few days!

Wachau wines and Wachau wineries

The Wachau is all about white wines. The traditional Wachau grape is the white Wachau Grüner Veltliner, which thrives on the lower banks of the Danube, producing some amazing wines, many of which age incredibly well. Wachau Riesling is also grown incredibly successfully, mainly on the higher, steeper slopes.

The combination of the winemaker’s skill, the soil and the special climate here is what enables the Wachau to produce such stunning wines.  Hot, dry summers and severe winters are balanced by the cooling effect of the River Danube and cool air from the north causes a large difference in day and night temperatures. The relative differences between the geographies mean that the western part of the Wachau tends to be cooler than the eastern area. The resulting wines tend to be dry, fresh and aromatic.

Traditionally most of the finest wines were made and produced on the north banks of the River Danube, on steep terraced slopes, but more vineyards and wineries have sprung up on the south bank, around Mautern and Rossatz. Read here about some of the Wachau wine producers and wineries we have visited - in addition to those covered below. 

The Wachau DAC

Under the rules of the ‘Wachau DAC’, wines can be labelled in ascending order of quality, as follows:

• Gebietswein - a ‘regional’ wine from a wide variety of grapes, either single varietal or a cuvée

• Ortswein - a ‘village’ wine, from specific grape varieties, with little or no oak

• Riedenwein - a ‘single vineyard/single cru’ wine - Grüner Veltliner and Riesling - again little or no oak

Note - All grapes must be harvested by hand to be labelled as Wachau DAC.

Since the mid 1980s, the production of the most authentic and expressive form of regional Wachau wines, has been protected by the rules of the ‘Vinea Wachau’. This private growers association also designates wines according to alcohol content and you will see the following terms on Wachau wine labels: Steinfeder: light wines up to 11.5% alcohol; Federspiel: classic wines 11.5-12.5% alcohol; Smaragd: reserve wines with a minimum of 12.5% alcohol.

Our Wachau guided tour with ‘Wachaupur’

We always enjoy exploring wine regions based on our own knowledge and contacts, but it’s also great to experience a guided tour and to benefit from the local knowledge of a professional guide and wine expert.

Not only is the hassle taken out of the planning, but a local, knowledgeable guide will take you to all of the best spots and vantage points and give you lots of great information and insights which you would find challenging to research yourself.

You can read all about our suggestions and tips for exploring the Wachau under your own steam here, but we can also highly recommend a guided tour of the Wachau with Wachaupur. 

About Wachaupur

Martin Wicke is the founder of Wachaupur, which he set up in 2007 to share his considerable local knowledge and insights of the Wachau, working with an impressive list of partners to deliver superbly insightful, immersive and enjoyable guided tours. His aim is to ensure customers leave the tour having discovered a different side of or something new about the Wachau, regardless of whether it’s a first time or return visit.

Martin is not only very knowledgeable and engaging, he is passionate about this beautiful part of the world, its history, its traditions, its people and its wines. This isn’t surprising considering Martin is the grandson of Josef Jamek, who was one of the Wachau’s leading and most influential winemakers. 

Our Wachau Pur wine tour 

Wachaupur offers a broad range of Wachau tours and experiences - see here - but Martin is always happy to develop individualised tours to meet specific requirements.

We joined Martin on the popular ‘Wachau pur’ tour, described as an ‘introduction to the Wachau and its winegrowing history, explanation of the climatic and territorial characteristics, a drive in and through the vineyards and a visit to two prestigious wineries including tasting’.

The tour lasts approximately 3 hours and groups can be met at the railway station in the popular town of Krems (with train links to capital Vienna), or at any of the main Wachau wine towns along the Danube.

Amazing views over the Wachau Valley

Our first stop was up in the vineyards high above the village of Stein, right next to Krems. Martin drove into the vineyard and to an old hut which is now used for wine tastings. From here we had superb views over the Wachau Valley and Krems and it was a great location for us to hear from Martin all about the Wachau wine region and its fascinating history.

This vantage point is not one you would have access to as a normal ‘tourist’ and the views were really spectacular, as was Martin’s introduction to this beautiful region.

Visiting historic Nikolaihof winery

We then drove across the Danube and to the famous winery, Nikolaihof in Mautern, the oldest winery in Austria! As we entered the beautiful courtyard we got a real sense of the history here which stretches back some 2000 years. You can see remains of old Roman fortifications and the courtyard is still dominated by the Agapitus Chapel, which was founded by the Augustinian canons of St. Nikola Abbey in the 11th-12th century. 

Martin led us on a fascinating tour of the historic Roman cellar where we marvelled at the large, old oak barrels where the wines still mature today and the old wooden wine press, which was still in use until relatively recently.

Nikolaihof is also a trailblazer in biodynamic viticulture and winemaking and we were privileged to enjoy a tasting of a range of Nikolaihof Grüner veltliner and Riesling wines. No herbicides, pesticides, artificial fertilisers or synthetic sprays are used in the vineyards and the wines ferment on their own yeast and are matured for up to 20 years in the cellar. Truly exceptional wines.

Walking through the vineyards - Ried Klaus

From Nikolaihof Martin took us along the River Danube up to the lovely Wachau wine village of Weißenkirchen and into the steeply terraced vineyards. From here we enjoyed some spectacular views - said to be the most beautiful in the Wachau region.

As we strolled through the vineyards, Martin explained the unique geology, climate and soils, which help make Wachau wines so special and he gave us a unique insight into life working these soils and managing these incredible terraced vineyards. Maintaining the stone walls which hold the small terraces in place is a life’s work in itself. 

What makes this part of the Wachau Pur tour so special is that we walked in the ‘Ried Klaus’ vineyard, which was one of Martin’s grandfather’s most precious vineyards and much of which has been in the Jamek family since 1959. This is personal to Martin but he’s very happy to share his unique insights with you to make his guided tours really unique.

Visit to Kartäuserhof and Karl Stierschneider winery

After our amazing and highly informative walk through the vineyards we went back down into Weißenkirchen and to Kartäuserhof and Weingut Karl Stierschneider for a superb wine tasting. The ‘Kartäuserhof’ farm dates back to 1380 when it was built as a reading yard for the Aggsbach Cartusian monks. It was taken over in 1862 by the Stierschneider family. The family produces some excellent wines, including Grüner veltliners and Rieslings as well as a wonderful sparkling wine and a small selection of other grape varieties. Martin led us through an excellent tasting of a range of Karl Stierschneider wines before returning us back to our base in Dürnstein.

Additional useful information about exploring the beautiful Wachau wine region

Getting to the Wachau

When exploring Austria’s beautiful Wachau wine region, we suggest you base yourself in the town of Krems, the gateway to the region with direct train links to Austria’s capital, Vienna. You can also hire a car - the incredibly scenic drive from Vienna and its international airport to the Wachau Valley takes about an 1-1.5 hours.  

Why not combine a trip to the Wachau Valley with a few days in magical Vienna?

Where to stay in the Wachau

Krems makes a good base to stay in if you prefer a larger town - there’s some great shops and restaurants and some excellent art and culture too!

Alternatively, look to stay in one of the smaller Wachau wine towns, where you can visit some fabulous wineries, stay at a traditional guest house and enjoy some excellent food! Our personal favourites are Dürnstein - ‘pearl of the Wachau’ - and its neighbouring ‘Loiben’ villages - close to Dürnstein are the two wine villages of Unterloiben (lower) and Oberloiben (upper) and further along the Danube, Weißenkirchen.

See our wine travel blog about exploring the Wachau for ideas and inspiration about where to stay, where to eat and wineries to visit!

For more information about the Wachau Valley, visit Austria’s ‘official travel portal’.

Conclusion - our personal highlights

What a superb morning discovering the hidden Wachau wine region from someone who is immersed in life here, who knows the wines, the vineyards and partners with wineries and winemakers to deliver truly unforgettable guided tours. Martin is well known in the Wachau and very well respected - we can’t recommend enough discovering the Wachau wine region with Wachaupur!

Inspired? Pin it!