Franz Hirtzberger

Wachau Smaragd whites: Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Grüner Veltliner.

Franz Hirtzberger produces wines from Wachau, Austria's steep-terraced riverside region in Niederösterreich. The winery focuses on the white varieties that define the area: Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, and Grüner Veltliner, all crafted at the Smaragd level—Wachau's designation for fully ripe, complex dry whites. The Grauburgunder Smaragd and Weissburgunder Smaragd rank among the winery's highest-rated expressions, while the Honivogl Grüner Veltliner Smaragd showcases the mineral intensity and stone-fruit character the region is known for. These wines have been assessed by major critics including Falstaff, Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and Decanter. Wachau's terroir—characterized by primary rock, loess, and schist soils on dramatic slopes—imparts distinctive salinity and structure to these dry whites, which typically display the aromatic complexity and acidity that make Austrian Danube Valley wines distinctive.