Discover Spitz and the Spitzer Graben in the Wachau Valley
Explore the beautiful village of Spitz on the River Danube in Austria’s famous Wachau wine region
Spitz an der Donau - Source: Winekeller
The Wachau Austria - world-famous Austrian wine region
The Wachau wine region is made up of an 18 mile stretch of the Danube valley in Lower Austria, between the beautiful, historic towns of Krems and Melk. This stretch of the glorious River Danube, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers the most amazing scenery, history, culture and tradition - as well as some of the best Austrian wine!
Wachau Grüner Veltliner wines are admired across the world and the Riesling wines produced here rank amongst some of the best there are.
The River Danube is the second longest river in Europe and the most important waterway in Austria - the part flowing through Lower Austria is 260 kilometres long. The Wachau Valley is the most famous section of the Danube in Lower Austria and is one of the best places to visit in Austria if you appreciate stunning river scenery surrounded by steep, terraced vineyards and apricot orchards, exploring charming, picturesque villages and visiting ancient castle ruins and baroque monasteries. We absolutely love exploring this Austrian wine region and also love Wachau wine!
Exploring the Wachau Valley near Spitz - Source: Winekeller
Exploring the beautiful villages of the Wachau Valley
At the heart of the Wachau Valley along this amazing stretch of the River Danube, between the towns of Melk and Krems, are some beautiful wine villages that you just have to explore! Each one offers something different to see and experience and of course each one is home to some incredible Wachau wineries, just waiting for you to go and visit!
Going from east to west there is the village of Mautern an der Donau, right next to the Wachau/Kremstal border town of Krems, then you travel through the famous wine villages of Unterloiben and Oberloiben (the Loibens), home to some top global wine icons and on to historic Dürnstein with its famous blue Stiftskirche cloister tower and ancient castle ruins. The village of Rossatz sits across the Danube from Dürnstein then in a few minutes you arrive at the beautiful village of Weissenkirchen, the largest wine-growing community and one of the most popular holiday destinations in the Wachau. Continue along the majestic Danube and you then arrive in beautiful Spitz and the Spitz Valley, or ‘Spitzer Graben’, a Danube tributary, home to some superb, higher altitude vineyards and the focus of this article.
For more information about exploring the Wachau wine region, refer to these articles:
Read on to learn all about Spitz and the Spitzer Graben.
Visiting Spitz an der Donau
The market town of Spitz an der Donau which lies on the left bank of the River Danube with a population of some 1500 people, is a popular stopping off point for those enjoying a ride on a Danube river cruise ship, travelling the Wachau Valley by rail, or for those enjoying the Danube cycling path.
Wander the picturesque streets with their Renaissance and Baroque houses and take time to visit the beautiful, gothic, parish church, whose tower dates back to the 14th century and in the centre of the village, the impressive Spitz castle and the old 15th century town hall.
Perhaps one of the most popular sights however isn’t in the centre of Spitz, it overlooks it - the ruins of the 12th century ‘Hinterhaus Castle’ first mentioned in 1243.
The castle ruins sit on a rocky ridge of the so-called Hausberg mountain, in the foothills of the Jauerling massif (see later). You can walk up the ‘Tausendeimerberg’ - or ‘Thousand bucket hill’ to visit the ruins - in daylight hours of course - but you need to take care on the fairly steep path. You’ll be rewarded though with fabulous views over Spitz and the Danube Valley.
Vine terraces lie all around the town, as evidence of its history as an old wine-growing village, but in terms of wine, the most significant aspect is the unique Spitzer Graben valley.
The Spitzer Graben
In Spitz, the Spitzer Bach flows through the Spitzer Graben - or Spitz Valley down into the River Danube and this narrow valley, with steeply-rising slate slopes, is a historic wine-growing region. It is also the westernmost and highest part of the Wachau.
The climate up in the valley behind Spitz and the ‘Tausendeimerberg’ is much harsher than down below in the fertile Danube/Wachau valley. Summers are cooler and the night-time temperatures fall sharply. The soils are rocky and barren and only produce minimum yields, but it’s these challenging conditions which make Spitzer Graben wines so special.
The Spitzer Graben is one of the most exciting terroirs anywhere in Austria, its cool climate and stony soils offering optimal conditions for precise, focused, fresh, fruity and elegant white wines. The main white wines produced here are Wachau Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.
Up in the Spitzer Graben vineyards behind the ruins of Hinterhaus Castle - Source: Winekeller
Spitzer Graben vineyards
The Spitzer Graben valley is lined by some 12 separate vineyards, but in 2018 these sites collectively became the only part of the Wachau to be defined as a Grosslage, due to its unique and distinctive climate and geology.
The best-known single vineyards of the Spitzer Graben include Trenning (the highest in Lower Austria, at 529 metres), Brandstatt, Bruck, Schön, Kalkofen, Biern, Zornberg and Offenberg. The Spitzer Graben also includes the single vineyards in Spitz.
Just to paint a picture of this incredible and unique site, the Schön vineyard alone comprises some 57 terraces spread over 130 metres in altitude.
We highly recommend taking time to visit the Spitzer Graben - an ideal way of doing this is by bike - it’s tough on the way up, but a lot easier free-wheeling on the way down! You can feel the temperatures cool as you leave Spitz behind and it’s wonderful to cycle (or drive by car) through the woods, which soon make way for the steep, slate, terraced vineyards, separated by distinctive dry stone walls.
Spitzer Graben (and Spitz) wineries
There are some highly rated wine producers making wines from the famous, unique Spitzer Graben vineyards.
Some 80 of the 200 hectares of vineyards in the Grosslage Spitzer Graben belong to Domäne Wachau - one of Austria’s leading wine estates and arguably the world’s top cooperative for white wines. See here for more about Domäne Wachau.
A key feature of the Spitzer Graben - mainly due to the challenging nature of the viticulture here - is that there are a large number of very small wineries. Around 70 wineries here have an average of just over one hectare of vineyard and cultivate their vines almost exclusively by hand.
See below some wineries we recommend visiting in the Spitzer Graben and in Spitz.
Weingut Högl
Weingut Högl is known for its award-winning, authentic, clean, mineral Grüner Veltliner and Riesling wines, with grapes grown in 10 hectares of steep, terraced vineyards. Josef Högl and son Georg practise natural viticulture and follow the philosophy that the fruit, the different slate and gneiss soils and the terroir should all dictate the character of the wines.
As well as to taste these excellent wines, another good reason to visit Weingut Högl is to enjoy the fabulous tasting room, which was awarded a ‘state prize for architecture’ in 2016. Josef and Georg are dedicated to tradition, but also innovation, which shows through in their winemaking.
Weingut Johann Donabaum
Weingut Johann Donabaum is an award-winning winery in the famous Spitzer Graben. Johann junior, fifth generation winemaker, took over from his father, Johann senior in 1996 and immediately started to transition the winery and vineyards, with a focus on producing top-quality wines. In addition to visiting Johann Donabaum to taste the wonderful wines, you can enjoy a stay here, right in the vineyards - see later.
Weingut Martin Muthenthaler
Weingut Martin Muthenthaler is a relative newcomer to the Wachau wine region, but is making a serious impression with some excellent wines. Martin Muthenthaler is passionate about sustainability and producing the best, authentic wines from what Nature provides in this unique terroir and microclimate, Spitzer Graben.
Weingut Franz Hirtzberger
Weingut Franz Hirtzberger is an Austrian wine icon, consistently producing top-quality wines through five generations. Located in Spitz, the Hirtzberger family has been producing wines through the generations on a farm which dates back to the 13th century.
The Hirtzberger vineyards are set on spectacularly steep and narrow terraces above the Danube around Spitz. Riesling Singerriedel is the estate’s flagship wine, perhaps the finest Riesling in Austria. Each vine in the Singerriedel vineyard is individually tended and inspected around one hundred times in the season. Harvests here can be very late – into early December in some years – and a proportion of botrytis affected fruit (noble rot) is usually included in the wine.
Committed to family and tradition, modern innovation is also used today to produce wines that are characteristic of the terroir and that convey their origin, variety, vineyard and the respective vintage in an unmistakable and authentic way.
Where to stay in Spitz:
We can recommend the following excellent options for accommodation in Spitz:
Weinspitz Boutique Hotel Donabaum - A luxury, modern, boutique hotel in the vineyards - note adults only.
Weingut Johann Donabaum offers a holiday cottage (for 4 people) in Schwallenbach, between Willendorf and Spitz, as well as 2 apartments in the heart of the vineyards.
Riedenblick apartments - 3 stunning apartments in Spitzer Graben, with amazing views over the vineyards. The modern apartments are named after 3 top Spitzer Graben vineyards: Bruck, Trenning and Schön and accommodate 8 people in total (2 for 2 people and the other for 4 people).
Gasthof Prankl - a family run hotel and restaurant on the River Danube and overlooked by the ‘Hinterhaus’ castle ruins on the hill above.
For other accommodation suggestions click here.
Where to eat in Spitz
You will find many different places to dine in Spitz, especially in the local wine taverns, or ‘Heuriger’, where you can sample superb regional, traditional dishes.
However, we can personally recommend dining at the excellent, award-winning Gasthof Prankl.
Gasthof Prankl has won numerous awards and prides itself on using local, seasonal, sustainably produced ingredients and there is a good choice of dishes, including vegetarian and vegan. Make sure you sample the delicious range of apricot desserts! The setting is also wonderful - if the weather is good, sit outside and soak up the view next to the River Danube, under the Hinterhaus Castle ruins.
What to do in and around Spitz:
In addition to enjoying a cruise along the River Danube, exploring the numerous villages of the Wachau and visiting the region’s spectacular Benedictine monasteries, including Stift Göttweig and Melk Abbey, the Wachau Valley is a superb destination for lovers of hiking and mountain biking - and Spitz provides an excellent base to do this from.
The Wachau Valley lies in the foothills of the Waldviertel district of Lower Austria. Waldviertel - translated as ‘forest quarter’ - is known for its large forests, meadows, fields, and high moor and heath landscapes and it’s a beautiful, unspoiled region to explore. It’s understandable why it’s so attractive to trekkers, hikers, Nordic walkers and cyclists of all levels of ambition, with well-signed trails throughout the region.
The Wachau World Heritage Trail is a 180km high-altitude hiking trail, made up of 14 sections, following the best in scenic trails through the Danube Valley and Wachau wine region. Sections 3, 4 and 5 take in Spitz and you can also hike the 19km ‘Panoramaweg’ between Spitz and Mühldorf, enjoying stunning views across Spitz and the Spitzer Graben.
Spitz an der Donau sits at the foot of the Jauerling Mountain, the highest mountain on the Danube, at 915 m above sea level. You can ascend the mountain from Spitz and enjoy a (long) cicular route back through the Spitzer Graben.
Hiking in the Wachau
Conclusion
If you want to experience the Wachau then we really recommend a visit to Spitz - and to fully experience Wachau wines, you really have to try wines from the very unique Spitzer Graben!
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