A high Bisamberg Erste Lage farmed for old-vine Gemischter Satz

Wiesthalen

Ried Wiesthalen is one of twelve Viennese vineyard sites classified as ÖTW Erste Lage (1ÖTW) by the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter, the ranking pursued by the WienWein group of growers and first carried on labels from the 2017 vintage. It sits on the Bisamberg, the wooded hill rising on the left bank of the Danube above Vienna's 21st district, and counts among the highest slopes on that hill. Its reputation rests almost entirely on one estate, Weingut Christ (Rainer Christ), whose bottlings define the site in the market.

Site and soils

The classified Ried covers roughly 25 hectares where the Bisamberg falls away to the east into a broad, meadow-like hollow that gives the site its name. Elevation runs from about 223 to 305 meters across the classified area, with the estate's highest parcels given as up to 310 meters. The exposure is south-southeast across a gentle incline of around 8 degrees, steepening to near 19 degrees in Christ's steepest sections. Of the whole, Christ farms about 7 hectares.

The Bisamberg lies in the Flysch zone, and Wiesthalen's soils reflect it: flysch sandstone laid down over millions of years, coral limestone, and clay minerals. The estate ties the wine's mineral cut and freshness to the high proportion of coral limestone, shot through with crystalline inclusions, together with cool air drawn down over the forested crest above the vines.

Classification and the Gemischter Satz

Wiesthalen's standing is bound to the Wiener Gemischter Satz, the co-planted, co-harvested, co-fermented field blend that is Vienna's signature and has held its own DAC since 2013. On this site the blend brings together Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Neuburger, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Traminer, Silvaner and further varieties in a single vineyard, and it is this Erste-Lage field blend, rather than a single grape, that carries the 1ÖTW designation. Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are also drawn from the site as varietal wines, and some red varieties, among them Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir, are planted among the old vines.

Weingut Christ

Weingut Christ works Wiesthalen organically, and the estate's oldest vines here, planted more than 80 years ago, are the eldest in its holdings. The flagship Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Ried Wiesthalen 1ÖTW is picked by hand, given partial skin contact, fermented spontaneously in French oak and aged on the fine lees for about 13 months, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wine draws steady critical attention, with Peter Moser awarding the 2020 vintage 94 points in Falstaff. Across vintages it shows the cool fruit, aromatic breadth and saline freshness that the high, limestone-laced slope lends a Viennese field blend.

This comprehensive guide is part of the WineSaint Wine Region Guide collection. Last updated: September 2026.