Weingut Jamek

Austria

Winery Information

Location: Joching, Wachau

Winemaker: Volker Mader

Properties: 25 ha. of terraced vineyards located on the north bank of the Danube river in the Wachau district, about 65 km east of Vienna

Production: 180,000 bottles per year

Web: http://www.weingut-jamek.at/

One of Austria's best wine producing regions, the stunningly beautiful Wachau district specializes in wines made from the varieties Grüner Veltliner & Riesling. And no account of the Austrian wine industry would be complete without mention of Josef Jamek and his pivotal role in its development. In the 1950's Jamek led the production of a new style of wine.... totally dry, non-chaptalised and with lower alcohol than what was then typical. This became the new standard for the Wachau, which today still employs its own quality control system based on ripeness of the grapes and alcohol content for its dry, white wines. Josef's legacy continues today through his youngest daughter Jutta and her husband Hans Altmann, who together with the help of their son Herwig run the Jamek operations in the village of Joching, which as well as the winery, also include a country restaurant. The estate owns many top vineyards, such as Ried Achleiten, Ried Klaus, Ried Pichl and Ried Freiheit. The Austrian Wine Association stated that Jamek's holdings "constitute probably the best collection of privately owned sites anywhere in Austria". The soil types found on their properties include primary granite & gneiss on the upper slopes and gravel & loess closer to the river. About 80% of their production is Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, the rest being Weissburgunder, Chardonnay, Zweigelt, and Pinot Noir.