Austria Flashcards
How old is the Austrian wine industry and what happened early 1900s?
- Wine since the Bronze Age, influenced by Romans
- 10-12th century: Monks brought Burgundian wine culture (e.g., in Wachau)
- Early 1900s: Austrian wine laws were created
What happened in the mid-1970s and 1980s?
- Small number of large producers added diethylene glycol to their wines to increase volumes and simulate sweetness
- As a result, exports dropped from 30 to 5mn liters
What happened after the glycol scandal and where is Autrian wine today?
- 1985: Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB) was established
- Market recovered
- Now: Consumers are willing to pay high prices for high quality Austrian wine
What is the general climate of Austria?
Cool continental
Describe how the climate in the north, south, east, and west is influenced
- North: Weinviertel is influenced by cool northerly winds
- South: Steiermark has warming influence from Adriatic
- East (near Hungarian border): Burgenland is influenced by warmer Pannonian climate
- West: Vineyards on the Danube may experience cooler breezes from the Alps
What are environmental risks?
- Spring frosts in many regions
- Hail in Steiermark
- Winter freeze (rarely, but in particular cold winters)
- Water stress in years with low rainfall
What are the two major soil types and what variety is mostly planted on each?
- Thin soils over rock (granite and gneiss) -> Riesling (needs less water than Grüner Veltliner)
- Richer soils, e.g., loess, sometimes clay -> Grüner Veltliner as it needs more water
What other soil types are found in Austria?
- Limestone
- Schist
- Gravel
- Volcanic material
What was the traditional training method in the 1980s and what is it today?
- 1980s: Lenz Moser
- Today: Single or double Guyot with VSP
What is the Lenz Moser training method and why was it used in the 1980s?
- Cordon Trained to 1.2-1.4m height (higher than other systems)
- Popular for high volume production
- Allows for mechanization: Low maintenance once established
Where is what type of harvest conducted?
- By machine: on flatter lands (e.g., Weinviertel, Burgenland)
- By hand: on terraced vineyards (e.g., Wachau, Kremstal, Kamptal)
What is the max yield? How much was it in reality in recent years?
- 67.5 hL/ha
- 49 hL/ha in recent years
What is the ratio of white and black varieties?
- 2/3 white
- 1/3 black
What are the 5 main varieties from most planted to least planted?
- Grüner Veltliner
- Zweigelt (red)
- Welschriesling
- Blaufränkisch (red)
- Riesling
What percentage of Austrian wine is planted to Grüner Veltliner and Zweigelt?
- Grüner Veltliner: 30%
- Zweigelt: 15%
What percent of Austrian vineyards are organic/sustainable?
- Organic: 14%
- Sustainable: 9%
Describe the characteristics of Grüner Veltliner (soil, vigor, skin)
- Not suited for dry soils -> clay and loess
- Canopy management necessary as it is vigorous on fertile soils
- Thick skin -> can lead to phenolic taste if too long on skins
- Skins contains rotundone -> peppery aroma
What is the typical style of Grüner Veltliner? (acidity, oak, aromas, quality, price)
- Medium (+) to high acidity
- Typically, no oak
- Range from simple citrus, green apple to peach and great complexity
- Range from acceptable to outstanding quality, inexpensive to premium priced
Describe the characteristics of Zweigelt (crossing, vigor, diseases)
- Crossing between St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch
- Vigorous -> canopy management necessary
- Potassium deficiency can lead to withering and lost crops
What is the typical style of Zweigelt? (acidity, tannin, aromas, oak, quality, price)
- Medium (+) acidity
- Medium tannins
- Red fruit, esp. cherry
- Unoaked or oaked
- Range from acceptable to very good, inexpensive to premium priced
What is the color and acidity of Welschriesling?
- White
- High acidity
What are the three styles of Welschriesling and where are they produced?
- Style 1, mainly in Steiermark: Fresh, neutral, dry, inexpensive
- Style 2, around Neusiedlersee: BA and TBA with high acidity and ageing potential, premium prices
- Style 3: Sekt production