AUSTRIA Flashcards
Name the primary white grape varieties grown in Austria.
Majority of plantings (over 70%)
– Grüner Veltliner
– Riesling
Name the important river that flows through Austria’s main
wine-growing regions
Danube River
Four main wine regions of Austria
Niederosterreich (Lower Austria)
ニーダーエスタハイ
Wien
Burgenland
Styria
Three important sub-regions of Niederosterreich
Kamptal DAC
Kremstal DAC
Wachau
The three categories of the Wachau dry wine classification
Based on ripeness at harvest.
Steinfeder
-11.5% maximum alcohol.
The lightest of the three styles, named for a local grass found in the vineyards.
Federspiel
-11.5% to 12.5% alcohol. Named for a falconer’s tool.
Smaragd
-12.5% minimum alcohol. Named for an emerald-colored lizard that suns itself in the vineyards. These wines are often made from very ripe grapes and produce intensely rich, dry white wines.
Which of the following is not one of the four major wine-growing
regions of Austria?
a. Wien (Vienna)
b. Pfalz
c. Burgenland
d. Niederösterreich
b.Pfalz
(German)
Which of the following is Austria’s signature white grape variety?
a. Chardonnay
b. Pinot Grigio
c. Grüner Veltliner
d. Pinot Gris
c. Grüner Veltliner
Which styles of wine are mainly produced in Austria?
a. Either very dry or very sweet
b. Off-dry
c. Sparkling and sweet
d. Sparkling and dry
a. Either very dry or very sweet
Smaragd is a quality term used in which wine region?
a. Wachau
b. Wien
c. Mosel
d. Alsace
a. Wachau
Which of the following rivers is most important to Austrian viticulture?
a. Russian
b. Mosel
c. Rhine
d. Danube
d. Danube
a. Russian (California)
b. Mosel (German)
c. Rhine (German)
Red Grape varieties
Red Only 30% of plantings
– Zweigelt
– Blaufränkisch
– St.-Laurent
German EUnWine Classification
Landwein (PGI)
-Regional wines: rarely exported.
Qualitätswein(PDO)
– Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC)
-
This terroir-based system of quality
wines with appellation of origin is similar
to AOC or DOC. Only specific grapes
and wine styles are permitted in these
demarcated regions. The focus is on dry wines.
Prädikatswein (PDO)
– Similar system and use of terms as in Germany, with wines categorized by ripeness level at harvest. This system is rarely used today, aside from the very sweet styles such as BA, TBA, and Eiswein.
What is Niederosterreich?
Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) is the largest wine-growing region, with
many sub-zones along the Danube River and its tributaries. The focus is on dry,
unoaked, high-quality expressions of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.
Grapes growing fas existed in Austria for (a) of years.
a. Thousands
Austria’s location/Geography?
located in Central Europe, southeast of Germany and northeast Italy.
Much of Western Austria is covered by the Alps, with the wine-growing area located on the eastern edge of the country along the borders of Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
