Austrian wine


Austrian wines are mostly dry white wines, though some sweeter white wines are also produced. About 30% of the wines are red, made from Blaufränkisch, Pinot noir and locally bred varieties such as Zweigelt. Four thousand years of winemaking history counted for little after the "antifreeze scandal" of 1985, when it was revealed that some wine brokers had been adulterating their wines with diethylene glycol. The scandal destroyed the market for Austrian wine and compelled Austria to tackle low standards of bulk wine production, and reposition itself as a producer of quality wines. The country is also home to Riedel, makers of some of the most expensive wine glasses in the world. Some of the best producers of Austria include Weingut Bründlmayer, Weingut F.X. Pichler and Weingut Franz Hirtzberger, Weingut Nikolaihof, Weingut Knoll, Weingut Tement, and Weingut Sattlerhof.

History

There is archaeological evidence of grape growing in Traisental 4000 years ago. Grape seeds have been found in urns dating back to 700 BC in Zagersdorf, whilst bronze wine flagons of the Celtic La Tène culture dating to the 5th century BC have been found at Dürrnberg in Salzburg state. Viticulture thrived under the Romans, once Marcus Aurelius Probus had overturned the ban on growing grapes north of the Alps. Both Grüner Veltliner and Welschriesling appear to have been grown around the Danube since Roman times.
Viticulture suffered with the invasions of Bavarians, Slavs and Avars after the fall of the Roman Empire, but from 788 the rule of Charlemagne 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 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 and Joseph II to encourage viticulture. An imperial decree 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 and downy mildew. 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. Then the phylloxera root aphid arrived in 1872 and wiped out most of the vineyards of central 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. After World War I, Austria was the third biggest wine producer in the world, much being exported in bulk for blending with wine from Germany and other countries.
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, which were not in high demand. However, sellers came up with a means by which to alter that wine to sell it.

Grape varieties

As can be seen from the table, Grüner Veltliner 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 variety is used in the noble rot dessert wines of the Neusiedlersee; it also makes undistinguished dry wines for drinking young, as does Müller-Thurgau. Neuburger was supposedly found as flotsam in the Danube in the 1850s, but is now known to be a cross between Silvaner and the ancient Roter Veltliner. Frühroter Veltliner is also known as Malvasier, suggesting a link to the Malvasia grape family of the Eastern Mediterranean. Muscat Ottonel 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 grape used in Tokaji. There were high hopes for Goldburger, a cross between Welschriesling and Orangetraube bred in Klosterneuburg, but after an initial wave of planting, enthusiasm has dimmed. Zierfandler and Rotgipfler are local grapes of the Thermenregion, and traditionally used to be blended together as Spätrot-Rotgipfler. It is worth noting that Pinot gris is known as Ruländer in Austria, and sometimes as Grauburgunder; Pinot blanc is known as Weißburgunder or Weissburgunder. Riesling 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 and Blauburger 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 and Blauer Portugieser are the traditional red grapes of the region, being part of the blend of Hungary's Egri Bikavér. The former is the more "serious" variety, Blauer Portugieser produces fresh, fruity red wines for drinking young. Sankt Laurent came from France in the mid-19th century, and seems to have substantial Pinot noir 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 variety, used to make a cult rosé called Schilcher in western Styria. Roesler and other fungus-resistant varieties are the latest varieties to be bred at Klosterneuburg.

Classification

Since joining the EU the Austrians have made real efforts to improve matters. At present there is the legal systems based on the Romanic scheme, including the regulations for regionally typical wines alongside private systems like in the Wachau.

National Classification

Source:
After the wine scandal of 1985, Austria basically switched from the Germanic system to the Romanic system, based on appellations and regional typicity.

''Wine without geographical indication''

Source:
  • Wein
The term Tafelwein has been replaced by the term Wein in 2009.
Designation:
Wine without PGI or PDO may carry the indication of variety or vintage under certain conditions.
Increase in alcohol/enrichment of wines without geographical indication

''Wines with protected geographical indication (PGI)''

Source:
  • Landwein
Alcohol increase/enrichment

''Wine with a protected designation of origin (PDO)''

Source:
  • In the sense of the GMO wine, Qualitätswein, including Prädikatswein and DAC wines, are wines with a protected designation of origin.
  • For all Qualitätswein a maximum yield per hectare of 10,000 kg applies.
  • All Qualitätswein may only be placed on the market after they have been tested by the state and the state test number has been issued.
Qualitätsweine
  • Qualitätswein
  • Kabinett
  • Prädikatsweine
Increasing the alcohol content/enrichment, sweetening of quality wines is not permitted
Information on the bottle:

Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC)

Districtus Austriae Controllatus, Latin for "Controlled District of Austria", is the Austrian appellation system, similar to the French AOC or the Italian DOCG. Regional wine committees award the DAC to wines typical of their region. There are now 18 DACs:
  • Weinviertel DAC
  • Mittelburgenland DAC
  • Traisental DAC
  • Kremstal DAC
  • Kamptal DAC
  • Leithaberg DAC
  • Eisenberg DAC
  • Neusiedlersee DAC
  • Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC
  • Rosalia DAC
  • Vulkanland Steiermark DAC
  • Südsteiermark DAC
  • Weststeiermark DAC
  • Carnuntum DAC
  • Wachau DAC
  • Ruster Ausbruch DAC
  • Wagram DAC
  • Thermenregion DAC

    Wachau Classification

The "Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus" has three categories, all for dry wines:
  • Steinfeder : maximum 11.5% alcohol, mostly for local quaffing.
  • Federspiel : 11.5% to 12.5% alcohol and a minimum must weight of 17° KMW, roughly equivalent to Kabinett.
  • Smaragd : minimum 12.5% alcohol, with a maximum 9 g/litre residual sugar; some of the best dry whites in Austria.

    Wine regions

In 2024 Austria had 44,210 hectares of vineyard, almost all of it in the east of the country. Of these 26,723 ha are in the state of Niederösterreich and 11,538 ha in Burgenland and 588 ha in Wien which together make up the wine-growing area Weinland. Steiermark accounts for 5,109 ha, and there are 243 ha in the rest of Austria, known as the wine-growing area Bergland. The federal states are split into 17 specific wine-growing regions.

Lower Austria

Wachau

This narrow valley of the Danube around Melk is reminiscent of the great wine areas of the Rhine, with steep terraces that produce world-class Grüner Veltliner and 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, 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.