Bottler: HM Lang,Steinspreng 6, A-3500 Stein/Donau / Austria
In the glass
Colour
Slightly hazy golden yellow with green reflections.
Nose
Initially flinty, smoky and yeasty; with air, vineyard peach, pear, apricot, rose petals, chamomile and a hint of white nougat emerge, framed by herbal notes and a touch of ginger.
Palate
Taut, vibrant acidity embedded in fruit and body; ethereal, delicate and astonishingly fine-boned despite the moderate alcohol.
Character
A magnificent, complex Grüner Veltliner that sets new standards – finely woven, invigorating and of extraordinary minerality.
Pairing
Lukewarm salmon with lime and chilli marinade, char ceviche with orange and fennel, or stuffed cucumber with avocado, tomato and roasted pistachios.
Notes
Unfiltered, Demeter-certified and spontaneously fermented; the “Dritte Akt” is matured entirely in large wooden casks. It was pressed using the legendary wooden press with up to 100 tonnes of pressure owned by former Airbus engineer Markus Lang – from vines aged between 80 and 100 years in the Riede Steiner Schreck vineyard site.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Slightly hazy golden yellow with green reflections – the wine’s unbridled nature is already apparent in the glass.
Nose
Flinty, smoky and yeasty on first approach, then a multi-layered bouquet: white peach, pear, apricot, accompanied by rose petals, chamomile and a hint of white nougat. Herbal notes and a touch of ginger frame the whole – fine, complex and beautifully interwoven.
Palate
The acidity runs taut and perfectly integrated across the palate, prompting immediate salivation. Despite its density, everything feels ethereal and finely structured, while the moderate alcohol of 12% abv remains discreetly in the background. A delicate Veltliner with nerve and depth.
Finish
Long, cool and mineral, with lingering herbal spice and fine salinity – a finale that lives up to the wine’s name.
Terroir & origin
The vineyard site Steiner Schreck lies in Stein an der Donau in Kremstal. Here, 80- to 100-year-old vines grow on gneiss bedrock, their deep roots bringing the cool minerality of the primary rock into the wine. Proximity to the Danube shapes the microclimate of these steep sites.
Grape variety & vinification
Grüner Veltliner, harvested not according to sugar levels but by pH value – at HM Lang this occurs at pH 3.0. Pressing is carried out using a self-built tree press exerting up to 100 tonnes of pressure, over several days, under open sky. The “Dritter Akt” matures entirely in large wooden casks – two to three years on full lees, in a bomb-proof tunnel deep within the gneiss at a constant 9 °C. Spontaneously fermented, unfiltered, with minimal sulphur.
Food recommendations
Its fine acidity and herbal spice make it an ideal partner for lukewarm salmon with lime and chilli marinade or char ceviche with orange and fennel. It also makes an exciting combination with cucumber filled with avocado, tomato and roasted pistachios.
Special features
Markus Lang, a former Airbus engineer, built what is probably the most powerful tree press in the world – 100 tonnes of pressing force that even impressed Willi Bründlmayer. This Demeter-certified estate produces only around 12,000 bottles per year. The “Dritter Akt” 2017 shows what happens when engineering precision meets ancient vines: a Veltliner of extraordinary density at just 12% alcohol. Da capo!
