Austria Flashcards
What is the name of the viticultural institute in Austria?
Klosterneuberg, built in 1860. Focused on larger yields, mechanization, wire trellising = shift to high volume winemaking
In town of Tully, Niederosterreich
in which two weinbaugebiete is 90% of Austria’s vineyards located?
Niederösterreich
Burgenland
Top white grapes Austria
Grüner Veltliner
Welschriesling
Müller Thurgau
Weissburgunder
Riesling
Chardonnay
What is Zweigelt a crossing of?
Blaüfrankisch x St Laurent
Top red grapes Austria
Zweigelt
Blaufrankisch
Blauer Portugeiser
Blauburger (BP x Blaufrankisch)
3 levels of quality wine in Austria?
Wein
Landwein
Qualitätswein
Requirements for Austrian Qualitätswein?
made from one or more of 40 approved grapes, from a single winegrowing region, and made in a facility within or bordering that region.
wine must show typicity of the region
minimum must weight requirement of 15 degrees KMW
min 9% ABV (5% for Pradikatswein)
maximum yield:
must pass a tasting panel and chemical analysis, indicated by a prüfnummer, and include the red and white banderole on the capsule
Where can Austrian wine labelled Wein come from?
may not exhibit a more exclusive statement of origin than Österreich
Where can Austrian Landwein be from?
Wienland (including Niederosterreich, Wien, Burgenland)
Steirland (Steiermark)
Bergland
What are the categories within Austrian Qualitatswein? what is the difference between them?
Prädikatswein - similar to Germany, a progression of late harvest designations, typically sweeter. Includes strohwein and Ausbruch
Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC): dry wines are the focus. There are 17 DACs across the country
Strohwein/Schilfwein
Austrian sweet wine- made from dried grapes of at least BA (or eiswein) ripeness.
25 KMW
127.3 Oe
Fully ripe grapes hung or dried on reed (schilf) or straw (stroh) mats for a min. 3 months before vinification
Sekt Austria requirements?
9 months on lees for traditional method wines,
6m on lees for tank method
All colors and sweetness level
grapes must be harvested within a single state
Different from Austrian Sekt (no lees requirement)
Sekt Austria day is Oct 22!
Sekt Austria Reserve requirements?
Gruner, Welschriesling preferred
Traditional method
Hand harvested
Whole cluster pressing
min 18 months on lees
only brut, extra brut, and brut nature (up to 12 g/l RS)
60% juice extracted at pressing
grapes must be grown and pressed in a single state that must be on the label.
village source may be on label
Sekt Austria Grosse Reserve requirements?
Gruner, Welschriesling preferred
Traditional method
Hand harvested
Whole cluster pressing
min 36 months on lees
only brut, extra brut, and brut nature (up to 12 g/l RS)
50% juice extracted at pressing
must be from single village, and it must be on the label. can note vineyard if it is registered.
Describe the geography of Niederosterreich?
In the Pannonian Plain, most subzones follow the Danube River. Former seabed, loess and granite soils. Continental climate
List the subregions of Niederösterreich
Wachau DAC -1300 ha
Kamtal DAC - 3900 ha
Kremstal DAC - 2368 ha
Weinviertel DAC - 14,000 ha *
Carnuntum DAC 900 ha
Traisental DAC - 815 *
Wagram DAC - 2700 ha
Thermenregion DAC - 2181 ha
Lower Austria climate
in the north around Weinviertel - big region, varied.
Wachau, Kremstal, Kamptal, Traisental, and Wagram: west of Vienna along the Danube, greatly influenced by the river as well as the cool winds from the northern forests and the warm Pannonian Plain to the east.
Carnuntum and Thermenregion, southeast of Vienna , more directly impacted by heat from the plain.
Lower Austria soils
loess: deep, chalky masses of wind-swept calcareous-dolomitic loess in over half the vineyards. these soils are nutrient rich and water retaining- great for Gruner
granite: on the higher vineyards along the Danube, better for Riesling
Lower Austria - most planted grapes
Gruner (~50%)
Zweigelt (12.5%), Riesling (6.1%), Welschriesling (4.7%), and Müller-Thurgau (4.4%)
List 3 producers in the Kamptal DAC?
Brundlmayer
Hirsch
Schloss Gobelsburg
List 2 tributaries of the Danube in Austria?
Krems and Kamp
List 3 vineyards in Kamptal
Heiligentstein
Lamm
Dechant
Kamptal
Villages: Langenlois, Zöbing, Kammern, Gobelsburg, Strass im Strassertal, Haindorf, Lengenfeld, Schönberg
DAC wines only from Gruner and Riesling
New barrique and hints of botrytis are allowed at the Reserve level.
Kamptal DAC: 11.5%
Kamptal DAC with indication of village: 12%
Kamptal DAC with indication of village and single vineyard: 12.5%
Kamptal DAC Reserve: 13%
DAC est 2008
producers Schloss Gobelsburg, Bründlmayer, Brandl, Hirsch, Hiedler
The Kamp River created a gorge-like valley within the Bohemian Massif, which largely defines Kamptal
What do the terms Classic (Klassik) and Reserve mean for Austrian wine?
Classic: min 12%, no obvious oak or botrytis (NOT an official term)
Reserve: min 13%, higher min must weights. in some places, botrytis and/or oak allowed
Wachau DAC
Niederosterreich, Austria
Villages on north bank of Danube: Spitz, Joching, Weissenkirchen, Dürnstein, Unterloiben/Oberloiben
South bank: Mautern
Evident oak-derived aromas in finished wine are forbidden for ortswein and riedenweine- only at gebietswein level! opposite of Kamptal!
Hand-harvesting mandatory for all level (gebietswein, ortswein, riedenweine)
Must be sold bottled in glass; volumes of 1L and 2L are not permitted
“Fantasy names” not permitted
Must be produced and bottled within the Wachau (or if the vineyard owner’s facilities are in Kremstal or Traisental, may take place at those facilities)
DAC est 2020
List 3 producers Wachau
Emmerich Knoll (Unterloiben),
Franz Hirtzberger (Spitz),
Rudi Pichler (Wösendorf),
FX Pichler (Oberloiben),
Prager (Weißenkirchen),
Veyder-Malberg (Spitz),
Alzinger (Unterloiben),
Domäne Wachau (Dürnstein),
Nikolaihof (Mautern),
Jäger (Weißenkirchen)
List 3 important vineyards Wachau, and their corresponding villages
Steinertal (Unterloiben)
Achleiten, Hinter der Burg (Weissenkirchen)
What styles of wine is Burgenland known for?
red (zweigelt, blaufrankisch) and sweet (ausbruch)
List the DAC of Burgenland (Austria)
Mittelburgland
Leithaberg
Eisenberg
Neusiedlersee
Rosalia
Ruster Ausbruch
Mittelburgland DAC
reds from 100% Blaufrankisch
DAC: 12.5% (minimum) / 13% (maximum)
DAC with Specified Site: 13% (minimum) / 13.5% (maximum)
DAC Reserve: Min. 13% (no maximum is specified)- should have oak character
surrounded by the Sopron Mountains to the north, the Bucklige Welt hills to the west, and the Kőszeg Mountains to the south. Cradled in a kind of amphitheater, Mittelburgenland is protected from wind, enjoys over 300 days of sunshine, and collects heat from the plains to the east
deep clay soils
(Burgenland, Austria)
Eisenberg DAC
Eisenberg = “iron mountain,” was an iron mine in Roman times. best sites on Eisenberg hill- mostly Blaufrankisch
reds from 100% Blaufrankisch
DAC: 12.5% - fresh, no oak
DAC Reserve: 13% - some oak character
- NOT affected by Lake Neusiedl or Pannonian heat. some Mediterranean influence from the south
- soil: Iron-rich Clay, Schist, and Slate
producers: Weingut Krutzler and Weingut Wachter-Wiesler
(Burgenland, Austria)
Neusiedlersee DAC
DAC in Burgenland, Austria
Red: Zweigelt must be the focus of the blend for both DAC and DAC reserve (reserve Min. 60% Zweigelt; Max. 40% other indigenous red)
DAC White: Spätlese and Auslese: from Qualitätswein varieties incl Welschriesling, Weissburgunder, and Chardonnay
DAC Reserve White: BA and TBA from Qualitätswein varieties incl Welschriesling, Weissburgunder, and Chardonnay
DAC: 12% - red wines only
DAC Reserve: 13% - red wines only
DAC est 2011, sweet wines added 2020
Willi Opitz
pioneered the Schilfwein, or “reed wine,” technique in Austria, wherein dessert grapes that don’t appear destined for great botrytis are dried on reed mats for six to eight weeks after harvesting from the vine
Neusiedlersee, Austria
Neusiedlersee climate, soils
warmest in Burgenland, sitting east of both lake Neusiedl and the Alps.The wine-growing region sits right at the heart of the Pannonian climate zone and is characterised by hot, dry summers with moderate rainfall and cold winters with little snow
dry wines are generally grown to the north and sweet wines to the south. south is warmer, with 47 surrounding lakes (called zicklacken) to the east, which heat up throughout the summer and contribute to the climate, humidity (botrytis). warm gravel soils in south.
some limestone and schist north of the lake in the village of Neusiedl, carried over from the Leitha Mountains to the west.
mostly gravels, sand, and clay dominate
zicklacken
mall salt-water lakes, notably in the southern part of Neusiedlersee, around the town of Seewinkel. Evaporation from the lakes overnight creates fog in the vineyards, encouraging botrytis formation
Neusiedlersee villages
Gols**, Mönchhof, Halbturn, Podersdorf, Frauenkirchen, Illmitz, Apetlon, Andau
Sweet whites made with grapes from Apetlon, Illmitz, and/or Podersdorf may be labelled “Seewinkel”
Rosalia DAC
in the Alpine foothills of the Rosalia Range, along the state lines of Lower Austria and Burgenland. It is between Leithaberg to the north and Mittelburgenland to the south.
Reds: Blaufränkisch and/or Zweigelt with at least one comprising 85% of the blend
Rosé: Wines must be made from one or more Qualitätswein varieties
max 4g/l RS, rose may be up to 9g if trocken
(Burgenland, Austria)
Notable producer Burgenland?
Alois Kracher. the TBA Scheurebe is legendary
Ausbruch
from Rust, in Burgenland, Austria. Near lake Neusiedlersee. Traditional sweet wine.
Grapes harvested at least 30 KMW/ 156 Öchsle and dried. Similar to Tokaji- richly concentrated botrytis affected must is added to less concentrated must.
Grapes: Chardonnay, Muskateller, Pinot Blanc, Neuburge, Welschriesling, Traminer, Pinot Gris. (was traditionally furmint)
(Burgenland, Austria)
What styles of wine is Wien (Vienna) known for?
Gemischter Satz - white blends - got DAC status for this in 2013- min 3 white varieties, none more than 50% of blend
Heuriger - nouveau wine
Sturm- half fermented sparkling grape juice
Which Austrian region is known for producing high quality Sauvignon Blanc?
Steiermark (Styria)
List 3 producers Kremstal
Nigl
Salomon Undhof
Christoph Hoch
Malat
Stadt Krems
Which two countries border Niederosterreich?
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Spätrot-Rotgipfler is produced by blending which two grape varieties?
Zierfandler (spatrot) and Rotgipfler
Made in Thermenregion, Niederosterreich, Austria
What are Austria’s 1-3rd planted white grapes?
Gruner
Welschriesling
Muller Thurgau
Which Austrian red grape is most likely to undergo carbonic maceration?
Zweigelt
1 KMW is equivalent to approximately how many degrees Öechsle?
5
What does the Öechsle scale measure?
On the Oechsle scale, one degree Oechsle (°Oe) corresponds to one gram of the difference between the mass of one litre of must at 20 °C and 1 kg (the mass of 1 litre of water)
1 L of must weighing 1036 grams = 36 degrees Oechsle
What was Wagram called pre 2007?
donauland
What are the parent grapes of Gruner Veltliner?
Traminer and St Georgener-Rebe
Which producer is known for using the Lyre vine training system?
Brundlmayer. It is a trellising system, also called the U or V system in France. it creates two walls of foliage instead of one, allows the plant to take more advantage of sunlight.
What is the maximum harvest yield for all Austrian wines with vintage and/or variety on the label?
67.5 hl/ha
Morillon is a synonym for what grape in Styria?
Chardonnay
What are the three best dry white wine vintages for Austria in the 1990s?
1990, 1997, 1999
Hochkultur
“high culture,” or vines trained on wires at 1.25 meters. pioneered by Lenz Moser in Austria in 1924 - the idea was to make it easier to harvest mechanically
bad winters killed almost everything but gruner and riesling- hence their prevalence today
AWMB
Austrian Wine Marketing Board - established as a part of the 1986 Austrian Wine Act
Lower Austria soil types
granite and sedimentary silty windblown loess
gruner is thirsty - likes deep, water retaining loess soils
Burgenland soil
Danubian deposits of calcareous sandy gravels
Leithaberg DAC
White: Grüner Veltliner, Neuburger, Chardonnay, Weissburgunder (blends or varietal wines)
Red: Blaufränkisch, plus a max. 15% combined Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, and Zweigelt
first DAC to allow both red and white wines! 2008- approved for red, 2009 for white
DAC wines max 2.5g/l RS
- some impact on climate from lake Neusiedl, but more from Leitha Mountains, separating it from Carunutum and Thermenregion = elevation
- pannonian plain influence = long warm summers
limestone composed of sea fossils, schist, gneiss
(Burgenland, Austria)
Styria / Steiermark
Südsteiermark DAC
Vulkanland Steiermark DAC
Weststeiermark DAC
Gebietswein, Ortswein, Riedenwein quality levels
whites: Welschriesling, Weissburgunder, Morillon, Grauburgunder, Riesling, Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc, and Traminer
SB most planted, followed by Welschriesling)
- soils: Styria Basin - patchwork of soils including silt, marl, sand, gravel, sandstone, conglomerates, gneiss, amphibolite, limestone, volcanic basalts
- most vineyards on steep slopes at 300-600m elevation
rainiest region in Austria. Frost, hail, and mildew pressure are key challenges.
Austrian Pradikatswein
Spitz
village in the Wachau DAC, furthest west
vineyard: Tausendeimerberg
slate and schist soils
Spitzer Graben: valley with hillside vineyards on slate and schist. coolest region and latest harvest of the Wachau. Vineyards: Hochrain, Singerriedel
producers: Donabaum, Högl, Veyder-Malberg, and Muthenthaler
some vineyards here as steep as 70 grade
Weissenkirchen
village in the Wachau DAC
vineyard: Rieden Achleiten - west facing! 200-400m elevation, soils go from mica schist to Gfohl gneiss
vineyard: Hinter der Berg
Prager and Rudi Pichler both bottle
Dürnstein
village in the Wachau DAC
vineyard: Ried Kellerberg, which is home to Schmid’ls Küss den Pfennig, a very old parcel
Schütt
famous vineyard shared by Loiben and Dürnstein, in the Wachau DAC
one of the first naed vineyards- dates to 1379
known for deep loess soils
Loibenberg
famous vineyard shared by Loiben and Dürnstein, in the Wachau DAC
huge south facing hill
Knoll, Domaine Wachau, Alzinger make wine from here
Mautern
village in Wachau DAC, on the south bank of the Danube river. thought to be where viticulture began in Austria
- Rossatz other village south of the river *
ried Im Weingebirge dates to 470 CE
ried Silbervichl, parcel Vom Stein - some of oldest vines in Wachau
also home to Nikolaihof, the country’s oldest winery.
Kremstal
in Niederösterreich, Austria. east of Wachau- so exposed to more warm air from Pannonian Plain
DAC wines may ONLY be gruner or riesling
gruner most planted, followed by Zweigelt and Riesling
New barrique and hints of botrytis are allowed at the Reserve level
more rain and less wind than Wachau = botrytis more common
villages: Krems, Senftenberg, Rohrendorf, Gedersdorf, Furth
Göttweig Abbey, built in 1072 - monastic origins
DAC est 2007
Pfaffenberg Vineyard
in the village of Stein, in Kremstal (on border with Wachau)
Salomon Undhof makes a wine from here, as well as Kogl and Hund
granite and gneiss
Senftenberg
village in Kremstal
vineyards: Hochäcker and Pellingen
producers: Nigl and Proidl
Rohrendorf
village in Kremstal
vineyards: Breiter Rain, Gebling, Schnabel
lots of deep, water retaining loess
Gedersdorf
village in Kremstal
vineyards: Moosburgerin, Spiegel, Steingraben, Vordernberg, Wieland
lots of deep, water retaining loess
Kamptal climate
drier than Kremstal = less botrytis
more influenced by Kamp tributary than by the Danube, cool nightly winds coming in from the Waldviertel (Forest Quarter) to the west. The region is slightly warmer than the Wachau, particularly in the east near Kammern
Kamptal soil types
more loess, unique rock formations and conglomerate soils in Kamptal’s higher-reaching sites, which near 350 meters.
in the warmer, lower-elevation sites, gravels, sands, and clays are more common—an ideal combination for red grapes
Wagram DAC
elevated in 2022; Until 2007, it was known as Donauland and included Traisental; since then, each has gained its own boundaries
most vines on the north banks of the Danube, and quite far back. southern exposure + deep loess soils = prime place for Gruner
Weinviertel DAC
gigantic, eastern part of Niederosterreich. Danube River to the south, the Czech Republic to the north, and Slovakia to the east
villages: Hohenwarth, Röschitz, Retz, Falkenstein, Poysdorf, Zistersdorf, Mannersdorf, Wolkersdorf
ONLY gruner for DAC wines.
Reserve & Grosse Reserve GV: “subtle botrytis and wood notes are acceptable”
DAC: 12%
DAC Reserve & Grosse Reserve: 13%
max 6g/l RS for standard DAC. reserve & grosse reserve - legally trocken (9g)
DAC est 2002
Carnuntum DAC
White Grapes: Grüner Veltliner, Weissburgunder, Chardonnay
Red Grapes: Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch
- only region in Lower Austria where red grapes lead
Leitha Mountains, Arbesthal Hills, and Hundsheimer Mountains
Ruster Ausbruch DAC
DAC in Burgenland, only made in the city of Rust (within Leithaberg)
One or more white Qualitätswein varieties, such as: Weissburgunder, Chardonnay, Muskateller, Grauburgunder, and Furmint
min 30 KMW (TBA equivalent)
min 45 g/l RS
Uses botrytized grapes
Must be hand-harvested
Production and bottling must occur within Rust
Must be vintage labeled
A tectonic break resulted in different parent material for the soils here, which are predominantly quartz-rich sandy gravels.
Ever self-regulating, this region opted out of Leithaberg’s DAC classification, and the region’s famed Ruster Ausbruch style earned DAC status in 2020.
Bergland
western austria, including the regions: Carinthia (or Kärnten, with 170 hectares), Upper Austria (or Oberösterreich, with 45 hectares), Salzburg (7 hectares), Tyrol (or Tirol, with 5 hectares), and Vorarlberg (10 hectares)
