The Traisen River wends its way north from the Alpine foothills to where it joins the Danube northeast of the village of Traismauer. It was once mightier than the Danube itself, having carved a north-south running valley some 4 kilometers wide, the width of the primeval Traisen. And its flow deposited the basis for soils that have no equivalent in Austria: a Dolomitic limestone-rich conglomerate of gravels flushed down from the calcareous Alps.

"This is the only region in Austria where you find so much grüner veltliner and riesling on this type of limestone," Huber continues as we stop at a roadside cut under the Berg vineyard, a top site in the village of Getzersdorf. He points to the reddish colour of the soils, owed to iron oxides, with genuine excitement. Thick loess overlies many of these unique soils, creating the ideal environment for grüner veltliner, while riesling here, as elsewhere, prefers the leaner, stonier sites, usually near the top of hills. Various calcareous sands, silts and clays complete the geological picture. ‑ John Szabo, MS (This feature was commissioned by Austrian Wine. Here's the link: https://www.winealign.com/articles/2022/12/22/undiscovered-treasures-of-the-danube-part-2-the-cool-alpine-breezes-and-limestones-of-the-traisental/.

Brilliant green/gold in color with aromas that suggest a fresh rainfall on hot stone, hints of peche de vigne and a delicate fresh green herb like chervil (our close pal and importer, Mark Rashap, noted stone fruits, lemon zest and white flowers); fresh and vibrant onto the palate with a stony backdrop and highly refreshing fruity acidity (Mark noted its mouthwatering salinity and over‑arching purity; Marcus Huber himself has called the Traisental the Chablis of Austria); absolutely delicious terrassen level Grüner Veltliner and certainly as mineral a wine in its own right as the OMG (the original mineral gangsta and, yes, that would be Chablis).

Light yellow/gold with glints of green in color; fresh, spring‑infused aromas hint at things like orchard fruits, chervil and fresh snow pea shoots; lovely equilibrium, easy and refreshingly light on its feet, but somehow also just ample in body and oh so satisfying. Talk about yer perfect porch‑pounder. And — this is a full 1‑litre bottle. Delicious and longer‑lasting, too.

"Agil, dynamisch und geradlinig" (agile, dynamic and straightforward) as Weingut Weszeli themselves describe the wine; from vineyards planted to pure gneiss with almost no topsoil at 380 meters (c. 1,250 feet), 'completely exposed and cold, the last to be picked every year' this wine is just redolent with Riesling purity what with shimmering come hither aromas of citrus and stone and peach (our wine director noted bergamot); to heck with the margarita (for now), this one's got the balance of elements and (although completely dry) the completely wet thirst‑quenching qualities, the push/pull, both challenging and satisfying and mouthwatering long on the tongue; splendid accompaniment to a tossed salad of fresh greens, to a delicately poached trout or to an expertly-prepared Wiener schnitzel with fresh squeezed lemon or, perhaps, simply, a sunset … Read, it's quite versatile. And, good golly, it's vegan, too.