Austrian wine - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Austrian wines are mostly dry white wines (often made from the Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

grape) with some luscious dessert wine

Dessert wine

Dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...

s made around the Neusiedler See

Neusiedler See

Lake Neusiedl is the second largest steppe lake in Central Europe, straddling the Austrian–Hungarian border. The lake covers 315 km², of which 240 km² is on the Austrian side and 75 km² on the Hungarian side. The lake's drainage basin has an area of about 1,120 km²...

. About 30% of the wines are red, made from Blaufränkisch

Blaufränkisch

Blaufränkisch is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety gives red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character...

(also known as Lemberger, or as Kékfrankos in neighbouring Hungary), Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...

and locally bred varieties such as Zweigelt

Zweigelt

Zweigelt is a red wine grape variety developed in 1922, at the Federal Institute for Viticulture and Pomology at Klosterneuburg, Austria, by Fritz Zweigelt. It was a crossing of St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch. It is now the most widely-grown red grape variety in Austria, as well as having some...

. Four thousand years of winemaking history counted for little after the "antifreeze scandal

1985 diethylene glycol wine scandal

The 1985 diethylene glycol wine scandal involved a limited number of Austrian wineries that had illegally adulterated their wines using the toxic substance diethylene glycol to make the wines appear sweeter and more full-bodied in the style of late harvest wines...

" of 1985, when it was revealed that some wine brokers had been adulterating

Adulterant

An adulterant is a chemical substance which should not be contained within other substances for legal or other reasons. Adulterants may be intentionally added to more expensive substances to increase visible quantities and reduce manufacturing costs or for some other deceptive or malicious purpose...

their wines with diethylene glycol

Diethylene glycol

Diethylene glycol is an organic compound with the formula 2O. It is a colorless, practically odorless, poisonous, and hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, acetone, and ethylene glycol. DEG is a widely used solvent...

. The scandal destroyed the market for Austrian wine, but in the long term has been a force for good, compelling Austria to tackle low standards of bulk wine production, and reposition itself as a producer of quality wines that stand comparison with the best in the world. The country is also home to Riedel, makers of some of the most expensive wine glass

Wine glass

A wine glass is a type of glass stemware that is used to drink and taste wine. It is generally composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot...

es in the world.

History

There is archaeological evidence of grape growing in Traisental 4000 years ago. Grape seeds have been found in urn

Urn

An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...

s dating back to 700BC in Zagersdorf

Zagersdorf

Zagersdorf is a town in the district of Eisenstadt-Umgebung in Burgenland in Austria....

, whilst bronze wine flagons of the Celtic La Tène culture

La Tène culture

The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....

dating to the 5th century BC have been found at Dürrnberg in Salzburg

Salzburg (state)

Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...

state. Viticulture thrived under the Romans, once Marcus Aurelius Probus (Roman Emperor 276–282) had overturned the ban on growing grapes north of the Alps.
Both Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

and Welschriesling

Welschriesling

Welschriesling is an ancient variety of white wine grape, unrelated to the Rhine Riesling, that is grown throughout Central Europe. The origin of Welschriesling is uncertain. The German name "Welschriesling" literally means 'Romanic Riesling', and most of the synonyms in Central Europe are...

appear to have been grown around the Danube since Roman times.

Viticulture suffered with the invasions of Bavarians, Slavs and Avars

Eurasian Avars

The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...

after the fall of the Roman empire, but from 788 the rule of Charlemagne

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...

saw considerable reconstruction of vineyards and introduction of new grape presses. Once Otto the Great had seen off the threat from Magyar incursions in 955, Austrian viticulture was nurtured by the Church and encouraged among the populace at large. The first vineyard names recorded are Kremser Sandgrube in 1208, and Steiner Pfaffenberg in 1230. Rudolf IV

Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria

Rudolf IV der Stifter was a scion of the House of Habsburg and Duke of Austria and Duke of Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as Count of Tyrol from 1363 and first Duke of Carniola from 1364 until his death...

introduced the first wine tax, Ungeld, in 1359, as Vienna established itself as a centre for wine trading on the Danube.

The wine business boomed in the 16th century, but the Thirty Years War and others of the 17th century took their toll, as much due to the heavy taxation of the period as the direct disruption of war. Various drink taxes were unified in 1780, as part of a drive by Maria Theresa

Maria Theresa of Austria

Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...

and Joseph II

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...

to encourage viticulture. An imperial decree

Decree

A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...

of 17 August 1784 gave birth to the distinctive Austrian tradition of inns called Heurigen. Derived from the German for 'new wine', the decree allowed all winemakers to sell home-grown food with their wine all year round. Fir trees hung above the door alerted customers to the arrival of the new season's wine.

The 19th century saw the arrival of all sorts of biological invaders. First there was powdery mildew

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of fungi in the order Erysiphales. It is one of the easier diseases to spot, as its symptoms are quite distinctive. Infected plants display white powdery spots on the...

(Uncinula necator
Uncinula necator
Uncinula necator is a fungus that causes powdery mildew of grape. It is a common pathogen of Vitis species, including the wine grape, Vitis vinifera. The fungus is believed to have originated in North America. European varieties of Vitis vinifera are more or less susceptible to this fungus...

) and downy mildew

Downy mildew

Downy mildew refers to any of several types of oomycete microbes that are obligate parasites of plants. Downy mildews exclusively belong to Peronosporaceae. In commercial agriculture, they are a particular problem for growers of crucifers, grapes and vegetables that grow on vines...

(Peronospora). One response to these fungal diseases from North America was the founding in 1860 of what became the Federal Institute for Viticulture and Pomology at Klosterneuburg

Klosterneuburg

Klosterneuburg is an attractive small town in Lower Austria, Austria with a population of 24,442.It is located on the Danube, immediately north of Vienna, from which it is separated by the Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg hills...

. Then the phylloxera

Phylloxera

Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...

root aphid arrived in 1872 and wiped out most of the vineyards of central Europe

Central Europe

Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...

. Although it took several decades for the industry to recover, it allowed lower quality grapes to be replaced with better varieties, particularly Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

. After World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, Austria was the third biggest wine producer in the world, much being exported in bulk for blending with wine from Germany and other countries.

However that intensification of viticulture sowed the seeds of its own destruction. During the twentieth century Austrian wine became a high-volume, industrialised business, with much of it being sold in bulk to Germany. A run of favourable years in the early 1980s saw massive yields of wines that were light, dilute and acidic, that nobody wanted. Wine brokers discovered that these wines could be made saleable by the addition of a little diethylene glycol

Diethylene glycol

, more commonly found in antifreeze, which imparted sweetness and body to the wine. The adulteration was difficult to detect chemically - the 'antifreeze scandal'

1985 diethylene glycol wine scandal

broke when one of them tried to claim for the cost of the chemical on his tax return. Although the amounts of glycol were less dangerous than the alcohol in the wine, and only a few middlemen were involved, exports collapsed and some countries banned Austrian wine altogether. The antifreeze jokes persist, but in fact the scandal was the saviour of the industry in Austria. Strict new regulations restricted yields among other things, producers moved towards more red wine and a dry style of white wine that was what the 1990s market would demand, and the middlemen went bust forcing producers to sell direct and encouraging the expression of local terroir

Terroir

Terroir comes from the word terre "land". It was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place bestowed upon particular varieties...

. Perhaps most importantly, there was a massive change in the culture of wine production in Austria towards an emphasis on quality, as opposed to the low standards that permitted the scandal to happen in the first place.

The Austrian Wine Marketing Board was created in 1986 as a response to the scandal, and Austria's membership of the European Union has prompted further revisions of her wine laws, notably the new DAC system of geographical appellations launched in 2002 (see Classification section below). Today Austria lies 17th in the list of wine producing countries by volume, but the wines are now of a quality that can take on - and beat - the best in the world.

Grape varieties

Grape

Vineyards

Grüner Veltliner

EWLINE

.0%

Other white (<2%)

EWLINE

.1%

Zweigelt

EWLINE

.0%

Welschriesling

EWLINE

.9%

Other red (<2%)

EWLINE

.9%

Müller-Thurgau

EWLINE

.8%

Pinot Blanc + Chardonnay

EWLINE

.1%

Blaufränkisch

EWLINE

.5%

Blauer Portugieser

EWLINE

.9%

Riesling

EWLINE

.4%

Neuburger

EWLINE

.3%

As can be seen from the table, Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

is the dominant white grape in Austria, producing generally dry wines ranging from short-lived Heuriger wines to Spätleses capable of long life. The ancient Welschriesling

Welschriesling

variety is used in the noble rot

Noble rot

Noble rot is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. Infestation by Botrytis requires moist conditions, and if the weather stays wet, the malevolent form, "grey rot", can destroy crops of grapes...

dessert wines of the Neusiedlersee; it also makes undistinguished dry wines for drinking young, as does Müller-Thurgau

Müller-Thurgau

Müller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is used to make white wine in Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary, England, in Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,...

(Rivaner). Neuburger

Neuburger

Neuburger is a white Austrian wine grape. The grape is a crossing of Roter Veltliner and Sylvaner. As varietal, it generally produces full bodied wines.- Synonyms :...

was supposedly found as flotsam in the Danube in the 1850s, but is now known to be a cross between Silvaner

Silvaner

Sylvaner or Silvaner is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace and Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. In Germany it is best known as a component of Liebfraumilch and production boomed in the 1970s to the detriment of quality, but it has long enjoyed a better...

and the ancient Roter Veltliner

Roter Veltliner

Roter Veltliner is a grape variety used to make white wine. It is found in Austria. Some of the better wines come from the Wagram district of Donauland.It is believed to be a very old variety, but its parentage has so far not been possible to determine...

. Frühroter Veltliner

Frühroter Veltliner

Frühroter Veltliner is a variety of early-ripening, red-skinned white wine grape grown primarily in the Weinviertel district of Lower Austria. It accounts for 1.3% of total Austrian vineyards and is diminishing....

is also known as Malvasier, suggesting a link to the Malvasia

Malvasia

Malvasia is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world...

grape family of the Eastern Mediterranean. Muscat Ottonel

Muscat Ottonel

Muscat Ottonel or Muskat-Ottonel is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of Vitis vinifera. It is most notable for its use in dessert wines from Austria, Croatia and Serbia as well as dry wines from Alsace and Hungary...

is used in dessert wines from the Neusiedlersee, as is Bouvier, which is related to the muscat family and is a parent of the Orémus (Zéta) grape used in Tokaji

Tokaji

Tokaji is the name of the wines from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary and Slovakia. The name Tokaji is used for labeling wines from this wine district. This region is noted for its sweet wines made from grapes affected by noble rot, a style of wine which has a long history in this region...

. There were high hopes for Goldburger

Goldburger

Goldburger is a white Austrian wine grape grown primarily in the Burgenland region. The grape is a crossing of Orangetraube and Welschriesling and was created in 1922 by Fritz Zweigelt at the Höhere Bundeslehranstalt und Bundesamt für Wein- und Obstbau in Klosterneuburg....

, a cross between Welschriesling and Orangetraube bred in Klosterneuburg, but after an initial wave of planting enthusiasm has dimmed. Zierfandler

Zierfandler

Zierfandler is a grape variety used to make white wine in the Thermenregion of Austria. It is also known as Spätrot because it turns red just before harvest time. It is traditionally blended with Rotgipfler but is increasingly being sold as a single varietal wine...

(Spätrot) and Rotgipfler

Rotgipfler

Rotgipfler is a grape variety used to make aromatic white wine. It is almost exclusively found in the Gumpoldskirchen district of the Thermenregion in Austria. It is often blended with Zierfandler to make "Spätrot-Rotgipfler". It is also increasingly used for quality wines...

are local grapes of the Thermenregion, and are often blended together as Spätrot-Rotgipfler

Spätrot-Rotgipfler

Spätrot-Rotgipfler is a wine produced in the Thermenregion in Austria, particularly in the Gumpoldskirchen district. It is a blend of the two varieties Zierfandler and Rotgipfler. Zierfandler is said to contribute finesse, while Rotgipfler contributes with strength and a higher alcohol, and the...

. It's worth noting that Pinot gris

Pinot gris

Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...

is known as Ruländer in Austria, and sometimes as Grauburgunder; Pinot blanc

Pinot Blanc

Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produced white fruit....

is known as Weißburgunder or Weissburgunder, and Sauvignon blanc

Sauvignon blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...

is called Muskat Sylvaner. Riesling

Riesling

Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...

plays a much smaller role than in Germany, but the relatively small amount grown is used for some of Austria's most appreciated dry white wines.

Zweigelt

Zweigelt

(sometimes called Zweigeltblau, a Blaufränkisch x St. Laurent cross) and Blauburger

Blauburger

Blauburger is a red wine grape variety that is grown a little in Austria and Hungary. It should not be confused with Blauburgunder, which is an Austrian synonym for Pinot Noir.-History:...

(Blaufränkisch x BlauerPortugieser) were bred at Klosterneuburg in the 1920s and now account for nearly half of Austria's red wine. The former can be made into powerful wines for ageing, the latter is easier to grow and is generally blended; both are also made into a lighter style for drinking young.

Blaufränkisch

Blaufränkisch

and Blauer Portugieser

Blauer Portugieser

Blauer Portugieser is a red Austrian and German wine grape found primarily in the Rheinhessen, Pfalz and wine regions of Lower Austria. It is also one of the permitted grapes in the Hungarian wine Egri Bikavér . In Germany, the cultivated area covered or 4.5% of the total vineyard area in 2007...

are the traditional red grapes of the region, being part of the blend of Hungary's Egri Bikavér

Egri Bikavér

Egri Bikavér is Hungary's most famous red wine. It comes from the Eger wine region of northern Hungary; the Szekszárd region produces a similar wine with similar name but with different character.-Blend:...

. The former is the more 'serious' variety, Blauer Portugieser produces fresh, fruity red wines for drinking young. Saint Laurent

St. Laurent (grape)

St. Laurent is a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety of the same family as Pinot Noir, originating in France....

came from France in the mid-19th century, and seems to have substantial Pinot noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...

(Blauerburgunder) parentage; St Laurent has a reputation for being problematic to grow, but can produce good quality wine. Blauer Wildbacher is probably an indigenous wild grape

Vitis

Vitis is a genus of about 60 species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce...

variety, used to make a cult rosé called Schilcher in western Styria. Rössler is the latest variety to be bred at Klosterneuburg.

Classification

As recently as 1999, Robert Parker

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Robert M. Parker, Jr. is a leading U.S. wine critic with an international influence. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate, with his particular stylistic preferences and notetaking vocabulary, have become very influential in American wine buying and are...

described Austrian wine labels as "illegible and confusing". There's a lot of historical reasons for this, but since joining the EU the Austrians have made real efforts to improve matters. At present there are three systems - the traditional system based on the German scheme, a different classification used only in the Wachau, and a new system of regional appellation

Appellation

An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...

s called DACs that is being trialled in the Weinviertel.

National Classification

The existing system was based on the German system during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, but was modified after 1985. It is based on the Klosterneuberger Mostwaage (KMW), which measures the sugar content of the grapes at harvest in a way similar to the Öchsle scale

Öchsle scale

The Oechsle Scale is a hydrometer scale measuring the density of grape must, which is an indication of grape ripeness and sugar content used in wine-making. It is named for Ferdinand Oechsle and it is widely used in the German, Swiss and Luxembourgish wine-making industries...

, where 1°KMW is ~5°Oe.

Tafelwein - >10.7°KMW, can come from more than one region
Landwein - >14°KMW, >17g/litre dry extract, <11.5% alcohol, <6g/l residual sugar. A Tafelwein that comes from just one region.
Qualitätswein - >15°KMW (can be chaptalised
Chaptalization
Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation. The technique is named after its developer, the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal...

to 19°KMW for whites, 20°KMW for reds), >9% alcohol. Comes from a single wine district.
Kabinett
Kabinett
Kabinett , or sometimes Kabinettwein , is a German language wine term for a wine which is made from fully ripened grapes of the main harvest, typically picked in September, and are usually made in a light style...

- >17°KMW Qualitätswein with no chaptalisation, residual sugar <9g/litre, alcohol <12.7%.
Prädikatswein - covers the range from Spätlese to Eiswein, to which nothing can be added - no must, no chaptalisation. Most of the wines may not be released until the 1st May after harvest.
- Spätlese
  Spätlese
  Spätlese is a German wine term for a wine from fully ripe grapes, the lightest of the late harvest wines. Spätlese is a riper category than Kabinett in the Prädikatswein category of the German wine classification and is the lowest level of Prädikatswein in Austria, where Kabinett is classified in...
  
  - >19°KMW, wine not released until 1 March after harvest
- Auslese
  Auslese
  Auslese is a German language wine term for a late harvest wine and is a riper category than Spätlese in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classification. The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn , and have to be hand picked...
  
  - >21°KMW, bad grapes removed
- Beerenauslese
  Beerenauslese
  Beerenauslese is a German language wine term for a dessert wine-style late harvest wine. Beerenauslese is a category in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classifications, and is a category above Auslese. Beerenauslese wines, often called "BA" for short, are usually made...
  
  - >25°KMW, bad grapes removed
- Ausbruch
  Ausbruch
  Ausbruch or sometimes Ausbruchwein is an Austrian wine term for a quality level in the Prädikatswein category. It is situated between Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese in requirements, which makes it a sweet dessert wine typically made from grapes affected by noble rot. The minimum must...
  
  - >27°KMW, botrytised grapes, grape juice
  Grape juice
  Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid. The juice is often sold in stores or fermented and made into wine, brandy, or vinegar. In the wine industry, grape juice that contains 7-23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds is often referred to as "must"...
  
  or late harvest wine
  Late harvest wine
  Late harvest is a term applied to wines made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. Late harvest is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been naturally dehydrated while on the vine...
  
  may be added to assist the pressing operation.
- Trockenbeerenauslese
  Trockenbeerenauslese
  Trockenbeerenauslese is a German language wine term for an intensely sweet dessert wine-style wine....
  
  - >30°KMW, completely botrytised grapes
- Eiswein - >25°KMW, further concentrated by being harvested and pressed when frozen.
- Strohwein or Schilfwein - >25°KMW, made from grapes dried on straw mats.

Wachau Classification

The "Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus" has three categories, all for dry wines:

Steinfeder ('Stone feather' - named after a grass, Stipa pinnata, that grows in the vineyards) - maximum 11.5% alcohol, mostly for local quaffing
Quaffing
Quaffing is a wine term to describe a category of wine that is 'simple and everyday'; that is cheap enough to be consumed in large quantities, usually available also in bigger containers. A "quaffing wine"....

.
Federspiel (named after a falconry device) - 11.5% to 12.5% alcohol and a minimum must weight of 17° KMW, roughly equivalent to Kabinett.
Smaragd (named after an 'emerald' lizard that lives in the vineyards) - minimum 12.5% alcohol, with a maximum 9g/litre residual sugar; some of the best dry whites in Austria.

Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC)

Districtus Austriae Controllatus, Latin for "Controlled District of Austria" is the new geographical appellation, similar to the French AOC

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...

or the Italian DOCG

Denominazione di Origine Controllata

Denominazione di origine controllata is a quality assurance label for food products, especially wines and various formaggi . It is modelled after the French AOC...

. Regional wine committees award the DAC to wines typical of their region. There are now 7 DACs:

Weinviertel DAC (for Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

)
Mittelburgenland DAC (for Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety gives red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character...

)
Traisental DAC (for both Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...

and Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

)
Kremstal DAC (for both Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...

and Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

)
Kamptal DAC (for both Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...

and Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

)
Leithaberg DAC (for Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

, Weißburgunder, Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...

, Neuburger
Neuburger
Neuburger is a white Austrian wine grape. The grape is a crossing of Roter Veltliner and Sylvaner. As varietal, it generally produces full bodied wines.- Synonyms :...

and Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety gives red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character...

, beginning September 2010)
Eisenberg DAC (for Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety gives red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character...

, beginning September 2010)

Wine regions

In 2005 Austria had 51,213 hectares of vineyard, almost all of it in the east of the country. 31,425ha are in the state of Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) and 15,386ha in Burgenland which together make up Weinland Österreich. Steierland (Styria) accounts for 3,749ha, Wien (Vienna) 621ha and there's 32ha in "the Austrian Mountains" (Bergland Österreich), which covers the rest of the country. The four main wine regions are split into 16 districts.

Lower Austria

Wachau

, map
This narrow valley of the Danube around Melk

Melk

Melk is a city of Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,222 ....

is reminiscent of the great wine areas of the Rhine, with steep terraces that produce world-class Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine...

and Riesling

Riesling

wines. Climatically and geologically it marks the transition from the Alps to the Hungarian plains, leading to a diverse array of microclimates and terroir

Terroir

, with the river moderating the effects of the cold Alpine winds. As mentioned above, the Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus still clings to its own classification of Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd, reserved for wines that are made 100% from Wachau grapes.

Kremstal

, map
Downstream of the Wachau lies the Kremstal region, centred on the town of Krems. The valley opens out a little, the climate is a little warmer allowing more red wine to be produced, but otherwise Kremstal is quite similar to the Wachau.

Kamptal

, map
To the north of Krems lies Langenlois

Langenlois

Langenlois is a town in the district of Krems-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Famous for its wine production, it is also home to the Loisium, a centre celebrating and advertising the local wine and built by the American deconstructionist architect Steven Holl....

, which is the main town of Kamptal, the valley of the river Kamp

Kamp

The Kamp is a 153 km long river in northern Austria, left tributary of the Danube. The source of the Kamp is on the border of Lower Austria and Upper Austria, near the town Liebenau, in the Mühlviertel. It flows generally east through Rapottenstein , Zwettl, Krumau am Kamp and Gars am Kamp...

. The sandstone slopes are so steep that only a thin layer of soil is retained, and exposure to the sun is high. Riesling thrives on these steep slopes; closer to the Danube the valley broadens and more red grapes are grown.

Traisental

, map
To the south of Krems lies Herzogenburg, at the centre of Traisental, which was only designated as a wine district in 1995. Mostly Grüner Veltliner is grown here, which is made into a fresh style for drinking young.

Wagram (formerly Donauland)

Between Krems and Vienna lies the Donauland, which covers two very different areas. North of the Danube is the plateau of Wagram, where the Grüner Veltliner is a bit more full-bodied and aromatic, and Roter Veltliner is something of a local speciality. Blauer Zweigelt and Pinot Noir wines are also made here, as well as a little Eiswein.

Further downstream, just outside Vienna lies Klosterneuburg

Klosterneuburg

. As the biggest private wine estate in the country, the abbey

Stift Klosterneuburg

Klosterneuburg Priory is a Roman Catholic monastery of Augustinian Canons in the Lower Austrian town of Klosterneuburg on the Danube river, just north of the Vienna city limits at the Leopoldsberg....

has played a formative role in Austrian wine for the last 900 years. The Federal Institute for Viticulture and Pomology was the world's first college of viticulture and continues to play an important part in the development of wine in Austria.

Weinviertel

, map

The Weinviertel lies in the northeast corner of Austria, between the Danube and the Czech and Slovak borders. The biggest single wine region in Austria is home to half the Grüner Veltliner in the country (subject of the first DAC), and considerable amounts of Welschriesling

Welschriesling

, but most of Austria's varieties can be found here. Even sparkling wine

Sparkling wine

Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...

is made from Riesling and Grüner Veltliner in the far northeast around Poysdorf, a particularly picturesque town in a country with more than her fair share of pretty wine country.

Carnuntum

, map
The deep soils between Vienna and the Neusiedlersee are rapidly establishing a reputation for well-balanced red wines made from Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch. Being close to Vienna and full of history, the area is a popular area to visit.

Thermenregion

, map
The spa region south of Vienna saw two wine regions, Gumpoldskirchen

Gumpoldskirchen

Gumpoldskirchen is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Gumpoldskirchen borders on the municipalities Mödling, Guntramsdorf, Gaaden, Pfaffstätten and Traiskirchen. The municipal area extends from the flats in the Vienna Basin to forest areas of the Anningers in...

and Bad Vöslau

Bad Vöslau

Bad Vöslau is a spa town the Lower Austria federal state of Austria. It is also known as the cradle of the Austrian red wine cultivation. Population : 11,190.- History :...

, merged in 1985. Climatically similar to Burgundy, with a wide variation in soils, all kinds of grape varieties are made here, many being made into heurigen wines. Perhaps the most interesting wines are the Spätrot-Rotgipflers, made from a blend of the local varieties Zierfandler (Spätrot) and Rotgipfler, both of which are white grapes despite their names.

Neusiedlersee

, map
The east side of the Neusiedler See

Neusiedler See

is also known as Seewinkel, 'corner of the lake'. The shallow Neusiedler See (Lake Neusiedl) is one of the few places on earth where noble rot

Noble rot

attacks grapes reliably every year. This means that botrytised

Noble rot

dessert wines can be made more easily, and hence sold more cheaply, than in other areas famous for this style of wine. Increasingly, red wine is also being made in this region.

Neusiedlersee-Hügelland

, map
The 'hill country' to the west of the lake offers a diversity of terrain that is reflected in the number of grape varieties and styles of wine made here. Perhaps the most famous is the Ruster Ausbruch dessert wine from the western shore of the lake.

Mittelburgenland

, map
The Mittelburgenland is a southern continuation of the forrested hills to the west of the Neusiedlersee. The nickname "Blaufränkischland" reflects the dominant variety here, which is the subject of the only red wine DAC and can be very good, the Bordeaux varieties also do well here.

Südburgenland

, map
The most famous vineyard of the South Burgenland - Eisenberg - reflects the red, iron-rich soil which imparts a distinct spiciness to the Blaufränkisch grown here. A speciality here is Uhudler

Uhudler

Uhudler is a unique wine from Austria, which originates in the Südburgenland region . In appearance it is often a rosé colour, but is also made as a white wine. It has intense flavours of strawberry and black currants, a characteristic taste often called "foxy" in wine parlance...

wine, made from hybrids with North American species such as Isabella, Concord, Delaware

Delaware (grape)

The Delaware grape is a cultivar derived from the grape species Vitis Labrusca or 'Fox Grape' which is used for the table and wine production....

, Noah, Elvira and Ripadella, which was banned for a while after the 1985 scandal.

Wien

, map
There are 621ha of vineyards within the city limits of the Austrian capital. Vines were grown within the city walls of Vienna in the Middle Ages, although they have now been pushed into the outskirts. Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc are grown on the limestone soils towards Klosterneuburg, whereas red grapes do better on the rich soil to the south of the city. Field blends

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

known as Gemischter Satz are common here, and most wine is drunk young in the city's heurigen.

Styria

Under a 2002 amendment to the wine laws, Steirerland (the modern Austrian state

Styria (state)

Styria is a state or Bundesland, located in the southeast of Austria. In area it is the second largest of the nine Austrian federated states, covering 16,401 km². It borders Slovenia as well as the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. ...

) replaced Steiermark (the old duchy

Duchy of Styria

The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...

, which included the eastern half of modern Slovenia) as the name for Styria on wine.

Südoststeiermark

, map
The many extinct volcanoes east of Graz give a rich soil which imparts a spiciness to the variety of grapes grown in Southeast Styria. The climate is a little cooler here, especially at night, giving a long growing season

Growing season

In botany, horticulture, and agriculture the growing season is the period of each year when native plants and ornamental plants grow; and when crops can be grown....

resulting in wines that are crisp, aromatic and full bodied.

1,300 hectares of vineyards are cultivated - all located around Klöch

Klöch

Klöch is a municipality in the district of Radkersburg in Styria, Austria....

, Sankt Anna am Aigen

Sankt Anna am Aigen

Sankt Anna am Aigen is a municipality in the district of Feldbach in Styria in south Austria.- External links :* - city website...

and Straden

Straden

Straden is a municipality in the district of Radkersburg in Styria, Austria....

and situated primarily on the slopes of the extinct volcanoes which characterise the landscape. Some vineyards are up to 650m above sea level.

The main grape varieties grown in this region are Welschriesling

Welschriesling

, Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...

(called Morillon), Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Gelber Muskateller, the Traminer family, Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon blanc

and Riesling

Riesling

; red wines feature Zweigelt

Zweigelt

as well as other grapes, including St. Laurent

St. Laurent (grape)

St. Laurent is a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety of the same family as Pinot Noir, originating in France....

or Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir).

Viticulture

Viticulture

is generally a part-time job for wine-growers; their produce is sold mainly in the numerous Heurigen.

Südsteiermark

, map
Südsteiermark (South Styria), near the Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

n border, is mainly Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon blanc

country – however, the 1,950 hectares of vineyards also include Welschriesling, Morillon, Muskateller and Traminer.

Soil types include sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

, shale

Shale

Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...

, clay

Clay

Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...

and shelly limestone

Shelly limestone

Shelly limestone is a highly fossiliferous limestone, composed of a number of fossilized organisms such as brachiopods, bryozoans, crinoids, sponges, corals and mollusks. It varies in color, texture and hardness...

. The combination of warm days and cool nights gives a long growing season, resulting in crisp, aromatic and full-bodied wines. The region also produces “Junker” – fruity, young wines.

Prominent producers include: Erich & Walter Polz, Gross

Gross

Gross may refer to:*Gross , before deductions*Gross , a counting unit equal to 144*Gross *Gross, Nebraska, a US village*Gross Island, Canada*Gross!, a television show on Discovery Channel-See also:*Grosz...

, Erwin Sabathi, Tement and Sattlerhof.

The warm humid climate and steep hills make this one of the toughest places in Austria to be a vigneron.

Weststeiermark

, map
Southwest of Graz lie ancient vineyards which mainly produce a cult rosé called Schilcher

Schilcher

Schilcher is a wine produced solely in the Austrian region of Western Styria , in the districts of Deutschlandsberg and Voitsberg, sharing a border with Slovenia and Carinthia to the south and west. The wine growing area is the smallest in Europe. The Schilcher wine itself is a distinct rosé made...

. Made from the indigenous Blauer Wildbacher grape, genuine Schilcher carries a mark with a white horse, after the Lipizzaners bred in Piber

Piber

The Piber Federal Stud is a stud farm dedicated to the breeding of Lipizzan horses, located at the village of Piber, near the town of Köflach in western Styria, Austria...

for the Spanish Riding School

Spanish Riding School

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses, which perform in the Winter Riding School in the Hofburg...

in Vienna.

External links

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