Weingut Loimer

Fred Loimer was among the founding members of Respekt-Biodyn, the Austrian biodynamic viticulture association established in 2007 that has since become the most rigorous private certification programme for sustainable farming in Central Europe. His Langenlois estate in the Kamptal produces Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from a combination of the region's iconic loess terraces and harder primary rock sites that produce structurally different wines from the same varieties.

The conversion to EU certified organic and Respekt-Biodyn biodynamic standards was complete before the association was formally established — Loimer had been transitioning the estate through the 2000s and the founding of Respekt was, in part, a formalisation of the farming philosophy he and a small group of colleagues had already adopted.

The Heiligenstein Riesling — from the ancient volcanic site on the edge of Langenlois that produces some of Austria's most mineral-driven white wine — has drawn 95 points from Wine Advocate. The Seeberg and Käferberg Grüner Veltliners from loess slopes represent the complementary side of the Kamptal's character: rounder, broader, with a white pepper intensity that the variety expresses most clearly in these soils.

Loimer's architecture and label design are among the most distinctive in Austrian wine. The wines inside the bottles are serious enough to justify the attention.