I was in Niederosterreich last summer. All of the visits were super so a few brief notes here in case it helps your decision making. I hear you on the “random tourists”. In my case, without, hopefully, coming across as some self-entitled dick, I emphasised the following in my mail —traveling specifically from afar (Singapore at the time), on my own, cycling up from Vienna, part of my WSET diploma studies at the time. A little embarrassingly performative on my part, and obviously these points are specific to me, but it did seem to help open some doors and show I mean business. Hope some of this helps.
Allram: Lorenz is a great guy who should be happy to give you an informative visit and tasting. I’d be particularly curious to hear your opinion on the wines if you visit.
Hirsch: A little more of a structured visit but fantastic and flexible at the same time. Daniel gave me a super tasting and was very informative.
Brundlmayer: They indicated they only conduct visits for the trade, which they generously considered my diploma studies to be. Otherwise, they refer you to the restaurant. Good visit to see a large producer and taste through the huge range of stuff they make.
Knoll: Despite being a little manic with bottling, Emmerich was very generous with his time and gave us a great guided tasting. I piggy-backed on a tasting with a US importer so perhaps got lucky.
Rudi Pichler: Rudi was especially generous with his time and gave me a 1 on 1 masterclass through his range. Incredibly informative.
Roland Chan: If Roland is there, I would certainly add this visit. I was originally put on to them by my tutor and then when there, all of the establishment (Emmerich Knoll, Rudi Pichler etc) gave strong praise for what they’re doing. The wines are great and Roland was happy to take me around the vineyards, tour, and taste. Unfortunately…he splits his time with other locations so I missed him but tasted through the wines which were great. Perhaps you can get lucky with the schedule.