Bernhard Ott is almost synonymous with Grüner Veltliner, although he wears his fame lightly. Weingut Bernhard Ott has 60 hectares in the south-western corner of Austria’s Wagram region and also in Kamptal’s Stein vineyard. Only eight hectares are planted with anything else.
Tasting the full range with Bernhard Ott
Michelin-star restaurant dream
I’ve always been a huge fan of Grüner Veltliner and am very surprised to find that many friends are completely unfamiliar with the grape variety or the wines. Twenty years ago – and possibly even more recently in London’s restaurant scene – it was rated as a modest varietal and was rarely to be seen. Now it’s casting off its humble slough, it’s creeping into many eateries’ wine lists. It was good to see that the tasting attracted many top-end sommeliers and restaurant buyers – they’ve seen the opportunity too for this quality wine.
“My dream is to be in every Michelin-starred restaurant,” Ott says smiling. “I believe Grüner Vertliner is one of the easiest wines to pair with food and is perfect as an aperitif too.”
I join a tasting at Jason Atherton’s sael restaurant in St James’s Market. We’re in a private room to meet Bernhard Ott and in a relaxed way try the full range in an open tasting style.
“My dream is to be in every Michelin-starred restaurant.” – Bernhard Ott, London, November 2025
Biodynamic innovator
Ott explains that the Ott estate, with the winery based in Feuersbrunn, was founded in 1889 and is still family-run. Fifty hectares are certified biodynamic. His approach is firmly rooted in low-intervention winemaking: 100% handpicking (unusual in this area), whole-cluster maceration, 100% stem inclusion and spontaneous fermentations in a mix of Stockinger foudres. Ott was a founding member of the respekt-BIODYN in 2007 and is one of Austria’s most innovative Grüner Veltliner producers. He’s a champion of regenerative viticulture, cover-cropping and dry-farming.
The first wine we taste is his ‘entry level’ Am Berg Grüner Veltliner 2024 (ABV 12.5%). It’s a superb, fresh light wine and a perfect GV expression. The Am Berg is picked across the villages of Engabrunn, Feuersbrunn and Großriedenthal from contract growers and estate-grown fruit. Grapes are crushed lightly and have some skin contact before pressing, then ferment spontaneously.
The 2024 Am Berg defies the warm year and presents an almost Riesling-like freshness, full of life and energy on the nose and herbal fruit on the palate. It is a blend from younger vines (and, because it contains fruit from over the border in Kamptal, carries the Niederösterreichappellation rather than Wagram). Very good value for such quality at HR DP £13.37 a bottle.
There are two more vineyard blends.
The Fass 4 Grüner Veltliner 2024 (ABV 13%) helped to make Ott’s name and is a brand that has existed since 1988. It is named after a special barrel (fass) that was hand selected every year by a customer for its quality. Grapes harvested around Spiegel and Rosenberg in lower Wagram produce a softer, more aromatic wine, salty and herbal. HR DP £17.83 a bottle.
Both the Der Ott Grüner Veltliner 2024 (ABV 13%) and the Am Berg are stand-outs for me. Some experts compare it flatteringly to a white Burgundy and it clearly has potential as a gastronomic wine, perfect with savoury foods. It is bright pale yellow and has a delicate bouquet characterised by green apple and citrus with floral notes and a hint of white pepper. On the palate the wine appears lively and fresh with balanced acidity and minerality typical of the region. HR DP £23.83.
Ott’s single vineyard wines
Next up are Ott’s newest releases of three single vineyard wines.
Ried Speigel Feuersbrunn Grüner Veltliner 2023 (ABV 13%). This is made from more than 50-year-old vines up to 340 metres in altitude in a cooler, very windy site on calcareous Danubian gravels and loess. It is riper and richer and has a strong mineral element and a slight touch of bitterness. HR DP £35.84
Ried Stein Engabrunn Grüner Veltliner 2023 (ABV 13%) comes from the lowest site in the Ott portfolio reaching 220 to 280 metres with gneiss soil. It’s an expressive wine with a light floral and herbal nose and a deep-seated saltiness. HR DP £35.84
Ried Rosenberg Feuersbrunn Grüner Veltliner 2023 (ABV 13%) comes from an iconic site with deep loess and active lime, made with vines planted in 1956. It’s a more serious wine that’s complex on the palate. Some experts feel the wine is not quite yet fully formed but shows great promise. Tropical fruits such as lychee are evident and there’s a bone dryness on the finish. HR DP £44.35
Finally, we taste the Tausend Rosen Grüner Veltliner 2023 (ABV 13%), the much-applauded top of the Ott range priced at HR DP £75.38. It is not produced every year, only in excellent vintages – if you hadn’t guessed it, the name means ‘a thousand roses’. Pale golden yellow, it has a hint of herbs, delicate blossom honey, and notes of quince. There’s a creamy texture balanced with gripping acidity and minerality on the finish with juicy honeydew melon and a salty aftertaste. There’s a potential for ageing too. Perfect for pairing with shellfish particularly crab and lobster.
New UK distributor
Armit has just become the on-trade distributor for Ott taking over from Mark Savage. Brett Fleming, Armit managing director says, “I first tasted the wines at Wine Paris and was astounded by the purity of Bernhard’s range. We weren’t looking to expand our portfolio, but frankly, opportunities like this are rare.”
Ott is buoyed by the winery’s expanded footprint in the UK market. “We’re looking forward to being in some of the finest restaurants and making our wines more accessible to our loyal fans.”
The sommeliers I spoke to at the event confirmed how well Ott’s Grüner Veltliner wines align to the British market’s penchant for precise, expressive white wines.
“The price point of the vineyard-blended wines is particularly good and the opportunity for single pour is appealing too. In truth, though, I may struggle at the price point of the single vineyard wines on our wine list but that’s not to deny their quality and there is definitely growing interest,” comments one.
It is a delight to meet Bernhard Ott. He has a mild manner and is clearly a perfectionist. The wines and his approach from soil to cellar are moreish in their authenticity and uncompromising precision.
Armit Wines is the trade distributor for Weingut Bernhard Ott in the UK. Armit is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here.
Dining and Cooking