Wineries
Hogl
in Wachau, Lower Austria, Austria
Before taking over the family winery, Josef Högl worked the vines of legendary vintners Franz Xavier (F.X.) Pichler and Franz Prager, and there are those who say that his wines already rival those of his employers. Lucky for you, since his name has not attained such superstar status (yet), they can be had at a fraction of the price. Ask anyone who knows their stuff about Austrian wine and they will tell you that Högl has got the stuff.
He works 16 acres of gorgeous, deep-slated soil all over the lush hills above the Danube. Here he creates white wines (especially the Grüner Veltliner from the Schön vineyard and the Riesling from the steep Terrassen-Spitzergraben vineyard) which have been among the best produced in all of the Wachau region since the early 90's, and Josef believes that the 2003 vintage is going to be one of his best yet. The respected Austrian wine guide Falstaff gives him 2 out of 3 stars (which are given out as sparingly as those from Michelin) and rates the majority of his wines well over 90 points.
His Grüner Veltliner Schön came in third place in the 2002 Falstaff Grand Prix “Grüner Veltliner Cup” and his Loibner Vision Riesling was one of their top ten Best White Wines for the year. This should provide plenty of assurance for those of you who buy-by-the-score, and with a scant 3,330 cases produced annually, the majority of which stays in Europe, that buying should happen quickly.
Wines by Hogl
