Austria Flashcards
Who produces Unendilch and what is the variety?
Fx Pichler, Riesling
Klosterneuberger Mostwaage (Austria)
Scale used to measure must weight
Which Austrian wine region has its own classification system? Describe the three tiers.
Wachau
Steinfeder 10- 10.7% ABV light bodied dry wines
Federspiel- Under 12% ABV medium bodied dry wines.
Smaragd- Over 12% ABV full bodied dry wines
Describe the cause and effect of the Austrian wine scandal of 1985
Producers were accused of adding Diethylene Glycol to their wines, destroyed the industry- today, Austria has some of the strictest laws in the world to protect their wine and image
Name three wine regions with Niererosterreich (lower Austria)
Carnuntum, Donauland, Kamptal, Kremstal, Thermen Region, Traisental, Wachau, Weinviertal
What is the most widely planted grape variety in Austria?
Gruner Veltliner
It is illegal to add Sussreserve to Pradikat wines in Austria, true or false?
True
What is Ausbuch?
Wine made by adding the must of late harvest grapes to botrytis affected grapes- from the village of Rust, in Neusidelersee- Hugeland (Burgenland)
What is the significance of the Heurige culture in Austria?
Drinking “this years” wines that has just been fermented served in taverns/ Inns/ Bars/ etc these places are usually owned by the wine producer.
Zweigelt is a crossing of which varieties?
Austria’s most popular dark berried grape. Blaufrankisch crossed with St- Laurent
What three classifications are there for white from Wachau, and what are their corresponding min/ max alcohol levels?
Steinfeder: 11.5% max
Federspeil: 11.5- 12.5% max
Smaragd: min 12.5%
Where is we in? Why is it unique?
Vienna, Austria. The only wine region located within city limits of a major city.
What region and country are Neusiedlersee, Mittelburgenland, Neuierlersee- Hugeland located in?
Burgenland Region
3 most important subregions in Austria for quality exports of what 2 grapes?
Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal for Gruner Veltliner and Riesling
Austria
2 Additional Wine
Classification
Ausbuch- between BA and TBA
Strohwine- Sweet wine made from dried grapes
Key regions of Austria
Lower Austria (Niederosterreich)- White- Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Donauland
Burgenland-(red/ dessert)- Neusiedlersee, Mittelburgenland, Neusiedlersee- Hugeland
Austria
Key Grape Varieties
Black: Blaufranksich, Zweigelt
White: Gruner Veltliner, Riesling, Welshriesling
Climate, Soils and Weather
Sunny dry continental
Milder and more humid
Around Lake Neusiedl
Fewer variations in vintages
Where is Kamptal located?
Burgenland
What are 3 categories of the Wachau?
Steinfeder, Federspeil, Smaragd
What are the 4 main regions in Austria?
Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, Styria
Where is Smargd found?
Wachau
Is chaptalisation permitted for quality wines of Austria?
No
Describe the flavours of Riesling, grown in Wachau, Kamptal, and Kremstal
Usually dry, quite full- bodied with ripe peachy primary fruit. Mineral flavours are common. Generally more full- bodied than Riesling from Pfalz or Alsace
Describe wine made from Zweigelt
Deep coloured reds with soft tannins and bramble fruit
Describe wine made from St Laurent
Austrian speciality that gives wines similar in character to Pinot Noir
Name the two additional pradikatswein levels for wine in Austria
Ausbuch (between BA and TBA)
Stronwein or Shifwein (bunches of grapes are laid on beds of straw for the winter to concentrate sugars)
What is the difference between Austrian BA and TBA?
Must weight of 25 degree KMW for BA and 30 degrees KMW for TBA. TBA from fully botrytised grapes.
What is the largest sub- district within Austria?
Weinvertel
Mittelburgenland and Sudburgenland have a reputation for making what kind of wine?
Spicy reds made from the Blaufrankisch grapes
Sudsteiermark and Susteiermark are known to produce what kind of wines?
High quality white wines from Chardonnay and Sav Blanc
Name the 3 sub regions of Steiermark?
Sudosteiermark
Susteiermark
Weststeiermark
The foremost red varietal in Burgenland
Blaufranksich
What kind of wine is Burgenland primarily known for?
Sweet dessert wines, namely Ausbruch
Which country/ style would wine be labeled Ausbruch?
Austria and slightly more opulent than BA
Name the 4 major wine regions of Austria
- lower Austria
- Burgenland
- Styria (Steiermark)
- Vienna (Wein)
The minimum ABV of a wine labelled Smaragd?
12% ABV
The minimum ABV of a wine labelled Steinfeder?
10.7% ABV
What are the levels of Pradikatswein in Austria?
Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerauslese, Ausbruch, Trockenbeerenauslese, Stohwein
Where are all Austrian vineyards located?
East side of country
What are the 4 regions?
Lower Austria (largest region), Burgenland (Top quality sweet wines borders Hungary), Styria, Vienna
What is lower Austria known for?
Largest region includes: Wachau, Kampstal, Kremstal, Gruner Veltliner and Riesling
Burgenland?
Along Hungarian border. Top quality sweet wines. Includes: Neusiderlersee and Neusierdersee- Hugelland (rust village) where get botrytis with fog/ mist off lake. Mittelburgenland and Sudburgenland= fine red wines from Blaufrankish
What three DACs produce red wines based on Blaufrankisch?
Mittlebjrgendland, Eisenberg and Lethaberg
Austrian Wine Scandal
1985, Dhyathelene Glycol (an ingredient in Anti- Freeze, but is harmless). Forced a clean sweep of the industry. Changed the way wine was produced. `
Ausbruch
German-language equivalent of the Hungarian Aszú, traditionally designating sweet wines made from botrytized grapes which made the reputations of tokaj and of Rust on the shores of the neusiedlersee. The methods involved historically in making Ruster Ausbruch are unknown but considerable circumstantial evidence suggests that furmint—still-dominant around Tokaj—long played a similar role in Rust, where that variety almost disappeared until a modest revival was mounted at the end of the 20th century. Ausbruch officially remains a trans-regional category of Austrian wine (stipulating botrytized grapes at a minimum must weight of 27 °kmw—equivalent to 139 °oechsle); in practice the term is widely used only in Rust, whose growers, as members of the Cercle Ruster Ausbruch, in 1991 set a lower limit of 30 °KMW. They further distinguished it from trockenbeerenauslese as having finesse and effusive fruit rather than opulence and a target alcohol level of 12%. Ruster Ausbruch wines may be made from any of the many white grapes grown in Rust, notably Chardonnay, Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Welschriesling, as well as occasionally (and memorably) from Furmint, or even Pinot Noir.
Steinfeder
The lightest in terms of must weight and alcohol among the trio of dry white wine categories in austria’s wachau region—specifically for unchaptalized grapes of 73 to 83 °oechsle (15 to 17 °kmw) which result in wines with no more than 11% alcohol. Consumers have been willing to pay much higher prices for the fuller-bodied wines of the other categories federspiel and smaragd, and it can be difficult to achieve attractive flavours in Wachau grapes at such low levels of potential alcohol. So Steinfeder wines today, however charming and refreshing, tend to be made only from a few comparatively cool sites or ones considered otherwise expendable, from Grüner Veltliner, and solely for local consumption. The name comes from a feathery grass species indigenous to the local vineyard terraces.
Federspiel
The middle of the three official categories of dry whites for which alcohol and minimum must weight are stipulated and that characterize Austria’s wachau—specifically from unchaptalized grapes of minimum 83 °oechsle, or 17 °kmw, and harbouring between 11 and 12.5% finished alcohol by volume. The name originates from falconry.
Smaragd
The most valuable category of white wines made from the ripest grapes on the best sites of the Wachau in austria. Alcohol levels in the unchaptalized Grüner Veltliners and Rieslings that qualify must be more than 12.5% and commonly range between 13 and 14.5%. The category is named after the green lizard that basks in the sun on the Wachau’s steep stone terraces above the River Danube.
Ried
Traditional term in austria for a vineyard site—especially if considered one of particular value—that is sometimes seen on labels just before the site name. Not unlike bricco in piemonte.
DAC
Districtus Austria Controllatus, denotes austrian appellations of origin established and regulated by grower-dominated regional wine committees and intended to define and promote a typical style and flavour profile (including specified grape varieties) for each of Austria’s growing regions. By 2014 there were nine of these. The first, weinviertel, was established in 2002 while the ninth, Wiener gemischter satz, applies to Viennese wines made from field blends or adjacent parcels of at least three varieties and was created in 2013. Kamptal, Kremstal, and Traisental DACs may be applied to both varietally labelled Riesling and Grüner Veltliner and for most there is both the basic klassik and DAC Reserve with higher minimum alcohol and, sometimes, later release. leithaberg is subdivided into red and white blends. Six DACs share the name of an official growing region while eisenberg is named for a village and vineyard site but effectively covers an entire region. DAC is one of the Austrian denominations that is classified as a pdo in eu terminology. The capital letters DAC appear on labels in immediate conjunction with its name. It is theoretically possible for growers and their committees to decide to be covered by more than one DAC. In 2014 it also remained to be seen how the wine regions to which no DAC has yet applied would elect to define themselves; the three regions are within steiermark, wachau, wagram, thermenregion, and carnuntum.
Pannobile
A name derived from the Pannonian Plain, refers to a group of nine growers in austria’s neusiedlersee region, all near the north eastern edge of the eponymous lake, and to a single prestige blended red each of them offers (from some combination of Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and St Laurent grapes) as well as, in some cases, a white (from some combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Neuburger).
Wine Laws- Austria
1993- new laws introduced. Severe yield limits. Laws similar to Germany regarding quality levels, but minimum must weights are higher. Chaptalisation forbidden for quality wines. Categories for Pradikatswein are the same, although Austria does not have Kabinett as a category and has two different levels; Ausbruch (in between Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese) and Strohwein or Shifwein, where grapes are dried on straw over winter to concentrate flavours. Regional delimitation laws introduced more recently, and new regions are frequently being added.
DAC- Austria
Austrian equivalent of French AOC areas. Current DAC areas are Weinvertal (for Gruner Veltliner), Mittelburgenland (for Blaufrankisch), Kremstal (for Riesling and Gruner Veltliner), Kampstal (for Riesling and Gruner Veltliner) and Leithaberg (Gruner Veltliner, Weiburgunder, Chardonnay and/or Neuburger and Blaufrankisch).
Wachau also has its own classification of dry wines, ranging from Steinfeder (lighter) through Federspiel to Smaragd (the richest in extract and body).
Regions- Austria
Split further into sub regions (Weinbaugebiete) and districts (Grosslage).
Weinland Osterreich
(Niederosterreich + Burgenland) 90% total production.
Niederosterreich (lower Austria)
Largest sub region. Weinviertel DAC (the first Austrian DAC) must be fresh, fruity Gruner Veltliner with no discernible oak. Wine other styles/ varieties must be sold as Niederosterreich. Quality districts within Niederosterreich are Wachau, Kampstal and Kremstal. Good sun exposure from steep, terraced vineyards. Concentrated Gruner Veltliner and Riesling produced due to long ripening over Autumn. Complex honey and toast develop with ageing. Best Gruner Veltliners compare to finest white Burgundy. Rieslings are drier and fuller bodied than Pflaz or Alsace.
Burgenland
East of Austria, on border with Hungary. A variety of grapes and styles grown. Divided into 4 districts: Neusiedlersee, Neusiedlersee- Hugelland, Mittelburgenland and Sudburgenland
Neusiedlersee and Neusiedlersee- Hugelland
Around a large shallow lake. Autumn mists from lake and other nearby ponds encourage noble rot. High yielding vines for sweet wines planted on the plains. Noble rot happens yearly meaning prices are cheaper than equivalent wines from France or Germany. BA, TBA, Ausbruch, Eiswein and Shifwein/ Strohwein produced. Dry white and reds produced from a number of varieties on the slopes above the lake.
Mittelburgenland and Sudburgenland
South west of the lake on rolling hills. Fine reds from varietal Blaufrankisch or blends with Bordeaux varieties. Aged in new French oak.
Steirerland
(Styria) 8% of production. Southern Austria. 3 sub regions:
Weststeiermark- acidic rose wines from Blauer Wildbacher
Sudsteiermark- excellent Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is aromatic, full bodied and suitable for cellaring. Welshriesling also produced.
Sudosteiermark- excellent Gewurtztraminer from volcanic soils. Large quantity of Welschriesling.
Wein
(Vienna) 1.5% of production
Bergland
(mountains) 0.5% of vineyard area.
Climate- Austria
Central European climate with short cold winters and long warm summers. Long autumns; manifestation of noble rot if sufficient humidity.
Soil- Austria
Lower Austria has loess, well draining, ideal for viticulture. Best wines from hill sites, loess overlaying granite. Nearer Danube are rich alluvial soils more suited to black grapes.
Northeast Burgenland, sand predominant, especially near Neusiedl, some ingrafted vines planted.
Remainder of Burgenland are hill sites with sand covering calcareous rock.
Styria has clay overlaying limestone, very hilly sites.
Viticulture- Austria
Over half of growers are part time. Very small plots handed down through generations. Present generation selling land off to medium sized growers increasing their land or grubbing up. Trend toward increasing individual size but decrease in production. Currently 51,000 ha of vines.
Vinification- Austria
Strong local market. Investment in equipment, wine education, stainless steel and new oak. Experimentation with oak and methods have led to some excess oak and high alcohol wines. Fine wines mostly consumed by local market.
Gruner Veltliner- Austria
One third of all plantings. Broad spectrum of flavours. Green apples and white pepper when young, developing honey and toast with age. Exaggerated mineral characters when grown on some soils with low yields. Limited use of oak.
Riesling- Austria
Main regions are Wachau, Kampstal and Kremstal. Dry, full bodied with rich stone fruit characters. Develop great complexity with age. Usually bottled under a single, named vineyard.
Welschriesling- Austria
Not to be confused with Riesling. Good but simple wine produced in Burgenland and the south. Susceptible to Botrytis, can make brilliant sweet wine produced in the south of Austria.
Blaufrankisch- Austria
Medium tannins, crisp acidity and a peppery, sour cherry palate. Minerality when grown on certain soils. Oak ageing softens the acidity and enhances sweet fruit flavours.
Zweigelt- Austria
Blaufrankisch and St Laurent cross. Deep colour, soft tannins and bramble fruit.
St Laurent- Austria
Austrian variety, similar characters to Pinot Noir. Blends common with international varieties.
Niederösterreich
Or Lower austria, is the state in which well over half of the country’s vineyards are situated. In it are the wine regions carnuntum, kamptal, kremstal, thermenregion, traisental, wachau, wagram, and weinviertel. Since the names Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental, and Weinviertel between 2002 and 2008 became those of official dac appellations of origin reserved for wines made from Grüner Veltliner or (in the first three of these) Riesling, wines made from other varieties are labelled simply Niederösterreich, guaranteeing this name a prominence that it did not previously enjoy.
Weinviertel
A vast arc of viticulture in austria north of the Danube, extending along the borders of the czech republic, then east and south along the River March and Austria’s frontier with slovakia, its western edge abutting kamptal and wagram, and its southern fringes abutting the urban vineyards of vienna. With 16,650 ha/41,000 acres of vines, the Weinviertel is Austria’s largest official wine region, and produces more than a third of Austrian wine. Volume has gone hand in hand with modest prices and relative lack of cachet when compared with other wine regions, but it has also made the Weinviertel an indispensable feature of Austria’s passionate wine-drinking culture, and an increasing number of quality-conscious growers are carving a niche for themselves and this region among their country’s many wine sophisticates. Half of the Weinviertel’s vineyard area is planted with grüner veltliner, but that dominance came about only after the middle of the last century. In a region, this large and diverse geologically, climatically, and culturally, it is not surprising that growers have scored striking successes with many grape varieties: Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Riesling, and Zweigelt as well as Austrian specialities blauburger, Blauer portugieser, muskateller, and welschriesling, and mixed plantings of gemischter satz. Among the more important wine communities of the Weinviertel are Retz and Röschitz in the west of the region; Falkenstein, Poysdorf, and Wolkersdorf in the north-east (prominent for sekt base wine but capable of far greater distinction). Also included are a cluster of tiny villages on the edge of the Bisamberg and Vienna’s 21st District, of which the best known is Stetten, because it is home to the Weinviertel’s most prominent pioneer of ambitious quality, Roman Pfaffl.
Weinviertel DAC
Was the first Austrian dac appellation for wines from the region made from Grüner Veltliner. Those referred to as klassik must be of at least 12% alcohol and be free of botrytis and wood notes. They may be commercialized as early as 1 January following harvest. Wines from this DAC labelled Reserve must be at least 13% alcohol; are permitted to evince ‘subtle’ botrytis or wood tones, and are not approved for sale before 15 March. Other than slight differences in the adjectives used to characterize their styles, the above sets of criteria are not materially different from those governing the kamptal DAC, kremstal DAC, and traisental DAC, in all of which, however, they apply to Riesling as well. Since its inception in 2002, wines that do not qualify for the Weinviertel DAC or are not successfully submitted by their growers for inclusion may not be labelled Weinviertel but must instead be labelled niederösterreich for their state of origin. This applies most importantly to wines produced from grape varieties other than Grüner Veltliner, which represent around half of the Weinviertel’s vineyard area.
Kremstal
wine region whose 2,250 ha/5,600 acres of vines represent roughly 5% of austria’s vineyards and characterized by considerable geological and microclimatic diversity. Long considered part of the wachau, the towering rocky terraced vineyards on the region’s western edge—in particular those of the Krems-Stein suburb—segue seamlessly into those of today’s official Wachau. These include two of Austria’s greatest Riesling vineyards, the (Steiner) Hund and Pfaffenberg as well as the estimable Kögl and Wachtberg that are closer to the city of Krems proper. The valley of the diminutive River Krems incorporates only 7 km/4.3 miles of vineyards that are dominated by loess close to Krems city limits, rising to magnificent steepness upstream around Senftenberg, whose Ehrenfels, Hochäcker, and Pellingen vineyards are home to Riesling (10% of total Kremstal vineyard) and Grüner Veltliner. The eastern and north-eastern fringes of Krems are dominated by mounds of loess, anticipating the soil character and exposures of the wagram region that runs along the Danube’s left bank towards Vienna. Grüner Veltliner overwhelmingly dominates in this sector, which helps explain why it amounts to over half of the entire Kremstal vineyard area. Gneixendorf and Stratzing north of Krems (and bordering kamptal) as well as Rohrendorf and Gedersdorf to the city’s east are important wine villages in this sector. Kremstal also incorporates extensive vineyards on the Danube’s right bank, where sand and gravel from the Danube, that meandered around numerous islands until late 20th century dredging, vie with loess for vine roots’ attention. An especially diverse admixture of other varieties—including even Cabernet and Merlot from Bordeaux—colour growers’ price lists. Heading east from Mautern (in the Wachau), the villages of Furth, Palt, Oberfucha, and Tiefenfucha are dominated by the massive mountaintop Göttweig monastery—itself an important vineyard owner—while further downstream Hollenburg hugs the Danube’s shoreline and abuts traisental, to which, however, it is not assigned.
Kremstal DAC
Is the official 2007 Austrian dac appellation for Kremstal varietals Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, which together account for about two-thirds of all Kremstal vines.
Langenlois
Dominant village of Austria’s compact but bountiful kamptal growing region.
Wein
Is how the natives of Vienna refer to the austrian capital and the official wine-growing region it comprises. Vienna serves as an axis between Danubian growing regions, nowadays dominated by Grüner Veltliner but also starring Riesling, and those regions more strongly influenced by the warmth of the Pannonian-Hungarian Plain and significantly planted with red wine grapes. Just under a quarter of the metropolis’s roughly 700 ha/1,700 acres of vines are dark-skinned. Red wine production dominates the two important viticultural neighbourhoods on Vienna’s southern fringe, Oberlaa and Mauer (abutting the thermenregion), which feature Zweigelt, Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder), and smaller contingents of diverse other red wine grapes. The reputation of Vienna as an important wine-growing region, however, rests on Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, less prominently Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), along with white-grape-dominated gemischter satz. Although these old field blends have shrunk to a mere 11–12% of the city’s vineyard area, they represent a distinctive contribution to its wine-growing and drinking culture, and provide the basis for the relatively recent Wiener Gemischter Satz dac (see below). Nearly all of these field blends are dominated by or consist exclusively of white wine grapes, with older vineyards generally incorporating significant shares of Grüner Veltliner as well as vaguely Burgundian varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Neuburger. Riesling, Rotgipfler, Silvaner, Traminer, Welschriesling, Zierfandler, and unidentified vines are also frequently found. Predominantly white wine grapes, they grow mainly on either side of the Danube in the city’s north west. The Kahlenberg and Nussberg vineyards, along with sites in the nearby suburbs of Grinzing, Sievering, and Neustift—all in Vienna’s 19th District—offer a stunning panorama of the city thanks to the elevation and sunny exposure that, along with attendant breezes and soils typically rich in fossils and limestone, commend them as high-quality sites. Musts seldom dip below 12.5% potential alcohol. On the Danube’s left bank, important vineyards extend north and west from the suburbs of Stammersdorf and Strebersdorf to the edges of the Bisamberg and the weinviertel, a vast growing region many of whose locally important growers also have holdings in Vienna. Each wine district has managed to keep the look of a wine village, even within the borders of a large city. Their often-bucolic wine taverns are a refuge for thirsty urbanites and an emblematic part of Austria’s heuriger culture of grower-dispensed new wine. No account, however brief, of modern Viennese wine history would be complete without mention of the role played by Fritz Wieninger as a model vintner and international ambassador for his vine-rich native city.
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC
is the official Austrian appellation of origin designed to showcase Vienna’s mixed vine plantings. As officially defined from the 2013 vintage, these wines must include at least three white grape varieties, though these may be planted in dedicated blocks as opposed to truly intermingled, provided those blocks are contiguous. No single variety may constitute more than half of a wine’s volume and if it consists of just three varieties, then none may constitute less than 10% of the total volume. Wines from grapes grown in Vienna but vinified and bottled in another region—and there are many producers just outside the city limits in the neighbouring weinviertel or thermenregion as well as in klosterneuburg—may apply for a dispensation to allow their Viennese wines that meet all other DAC requirements to be bottled as Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC. Wines of this DAC that are bottled without vineyard designation may not (with the usual half percentage labelling tolerance) exceed 12.5% alcohol, whereas those labelled for single sites must reach a minimum 12.5%, which nowadays happens as a matter of course. It seems possible that the creation of this DAC will encourage Viennese growers to plant more vineyards with gemischter satz. Since Wien is the name of an Austrian state, as well as of an official wine region, Viennese wines that do not qualify for the Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC may be labelled Wien.
Burgenland
Home today to nearly one-third of Austria’s vine acreage, divided between neusiedlersee, neusiedlersee-hügelland, mittelburgenland, and südburgenland. Although it produces important volumes of dry white wine, Burgenland is best known for red and botrytized sweet wines. Wines grown and bottled within this state have long been allowed to indicate Burgenland on the label in preference to specifying one of its regions. Moreover, many wines are now required to stipulate Burgenland as their place of origin rather than citing a specific region on their labels, the designations Neusiedlersee and Mittelburgenland now being restricted to those meeting the requirements of their respective dacs.
Rust
Important wine town on the western shore of the neusiedlersee in the Burgenland region of austria historically famous for the production of sweet white ausbruch wines but now also for high-quality reds mainly from Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt and some excellent dry white wines. Rust is also the base of the Austrian Wine Academy, the largest wine education centre in mainland Europe.
Neusiedlersee
Refers to both the l33 km-long, notably shallow lake of mysterious origin that plays a critical role in the wine-growing mesoclimates of the northern half of Austrian burgenland, and to an official wine region along that lake’s northern and eastern shores, with roughly 9,100 ha/22,500 acres of vines making up 8% of Austria’s total. A quick tour of this region beginning on the border with the neusiedlersee-hügelland wine region and just to the west of the lake’s northernmost extension highlights its geological, mesoclimatic, and vinous diversity. The villages of Winden and Jois alternately feature slopes of mica schist and limestone, and sites such as the Alter Berg and Junger Berg are gradually re-establishing reputations with blaufränkisch and Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder). Among white wines, the Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder) in this sector—while not widely planted—also distinguishes itself. At the northern tip of the lake, the low range of hills between the Parndorfer Platte and the lakeshore at Weiden and Gols features combinations of gravel, sand, and clay that support all the local red grape varieties—notably Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir, and zwiegelt—as well as Merlot, Cabernet, and even some Syrah. The wealth of white grapes in this sector includes Chardonnay, neuburger, Pinot Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc. Few villages in Austria are more singularly devoted to viticulture nor so crowded with family wineries than Gols, among which estate-bottlers Hans ‘John’ Nittnaus was the pioneer in the 1980s, champion of unblended Blaufränkisch. Josef ‘Pepi’ Umathum is notable for his rigorous Blaufränkisch vine selection, part of a multifaceted local cultural preservation project. Wide diversity of vine varieties is perpetuated around Mönchhof, Halbturn, and Frauenkirchen further south and east—the so-called Haideboden sector—more dominated by the warmth of the Great Pannonian Plain and less by the lake, a dominance that reaches its Austrian apex at Andau on the Hungarian frontier, known for its rich reds and in particular for the most powerful Zweigelt of all. Along the alternately sandy and gravelly eastern shore of the Neusiedlersee as it descends toward the Hungarian border and an expanse of reedy swampland east of sopron, the villages of Podersdorf, Illmitz, and Apetlon are home—like Rust on the opposite shore—to Austria’s most renowned botrytized sweet wines, along with occasionally remarkable dry whites. Fog and humidity from the Neusiedlersee and a mosaic of small lakes engender frequent botrytis, while sunshine reflected off their surfaces and the bright white expanses of sand and dried mineral salts, serves to project light into the grape clusters; conjoined with this sector’s generally low rainfall, ensures that the rot remains noble. In this so-called Seewinkel sector of the Neusiedlersee grape varieties include Chardonnay, muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, Pinot Blanc, and welschriesling plus significant amounts of bouvier, Muscat Ottonel, zweigelt, and scheurebe (known locally as sämling 88). Strohwein—straw wine known locally as Schilfwein—benefits from the local reeds and prevalent sunshine and contrasts with the region’s far more prevalent botrytized auslese, beerenauslese, and trockenbeerenauslese wines, while eiswein is also made with relative regularity.
Neusiedlersee continued….
Somewhat confusingly, in 2011 Neusiedlersee became one of Austria’s dac appellations of origin, associated exclusively with zweigelt-dominated red wine blends produced in the eponymous region, as a result of which only wines meeting the requirements for that DAC may cite Neusiedlersee as their place of origin, while others—including the sweet wines for which this region has long been best-known—must now state Burgenland as their place of origin. Wines of Neusiedlersee dac are referred to as klassik if overwhelmingly from Zweigelt, raised in tank or large cask, and with at least 12% alcohol. Wines from this DAC labelled Reserve must comprise at least 60% Zweigelt with the rest from other indigenous grapes, be at least 13% alcohol, and aged in large casks or small barrels.
Steiermark
Wine region in austria known in English as Styria, comprising the south-east corner of the country and incorporating the official wine regions of süd-oststeiermark, südsteiermark, and weststeiermark. In the age of Imperial Austria, adjacent wingrowing tracts of what is now slovenia were also considered part of Steiermark, making a total viticultural area more than twice the size of that remaining in Austria today. In 2006 Slovenia officially renamed a large share of the Podravje region ‘Stajerska Slovenija’, about which some Austrian neighbours had misgivings initially. The traditional centre for Styrian viticulture was in fact Maribor in Slovenia (Marburg in German), where in the early 19th century Archduke John of Austria directed expansion and improvements in winegrowing, including the introduction of most grape varieties found there today, for which he is still revered by both Austrian and Slovenian vintners.
Styria
Small but fashionable wine area in the far south east of austria known as steiermark in German and most famous for aromatic, lively dry whites.
Zierfandler
The finer of the two white wine grape varieties traditionally associated with Gumpoldskirchen, the dramatically full-bodied, long-lived spicy white wine of the thermenregion district of austria. (The other is rotgipfler.) Plantings had fallen to just 85 ha/210 acres by 2013. It ripens late, as its synonym Spätrot suggests, but keeps its acidity better than Rotgipfler. Unblended, Zierfandler has sufficient nerve to make late-harvest wines with the ability to evolve over years in bottle, but many Zierfandler grapes are blended, and sometimes vinified, with Rotgipfler. The variety, as Cirfandli, is also known in Hungary. dna parentage analysis suggests it may be a natural cross of roter veltliner and a relative of savagnin.
Rotgipfler
The marginally less noble of the two white wine grape varieties traditionally associated with the dramatically full-bodied, long-lived spicy white wine of Austria’s Thermenregion. (The other is zierfandler.) Plantings have remained steady at about 120 ha/300 acres. It ripens late, but earlier than Zierfandler, and the wines are particularly high in extract, alcohol, and bouquet. dna profiling in Austria showed in 1998 that Rotgipfler is a natural cross of savagnin and roter veltliner.
Lenz Moser
A training system developed in Austria in the 1920s by Dr Lenz Moser III. It employs wider rows (about 3.5 m/11.5 ft) and higher trunks (1.3 m) than had previously been the norm, thereby reducing vine density. Lenz Moser’s ideas influenced Professor Nelson shaulis, who developed the geneva double curtain. The Lenz Moser system found favour in parts of Europe in the mid 20th century because it decreases labour and therefore production costs, without any need for special machinery. French and German studies found reductions in fruit quality, however, probably because of shade in the fruit zone and it is now much less common even in Austria. It is also known as high culture, or Hochkultur in German. The name is probably more familiar as the biggest wine producer in Austria, with operations as far afield as China.
Loess
An accumulation of clay and silt particles that have been deposited by the wind. Loess is typically pale-coloured, unstratified, and loosely cemented by calcium carbonate. Favoured for viticulture because it is porous, permeable, readily warmed, and easily penetrated by roots, it is common in washington state and tokaj, and is found in some vineyards in austria, germany, and china.
Extract
The sum of the non-volatile solids of a wine: the sugars, non-volatile acids, minerals, phenolics, glycerol, glycols, nitrogenous compounds, and traces of other substances such as proteins, pectins, and gums. Sometimes sugars are deliberately excluded to give sugar-free extract. Wines’ extract, including sugars, usually starts at between 17 and 30 g/l but can vary considerably depending on the wine’s sweetness, colour (red wines usually having a higher extract than whites, thanks to their greater phenolic content), and age, since some extract is precipitated as sediment over the years. Cooler and wetter years, with higher levels of acidity in the grapes, are likely to produce wines with higher levels of dry extract, and botrytis is also likely to increase its concentration. Historically, extract was determined by the simple but time-consuming expedient of evaporating a measured quantity of wine and weighing the residue, but this method is imprecise and has generally been replaced by using what is known as the Tabarié formula, techniques involving the measurement of alcoholic strength, the density, and the residual sugar (if sugar-free extract is required). To be high in extract, a wine does not necessarily have to be high in alcohol or body. Many fine German wines are high in extract, and yet are low in alcohol and are light bodied, especially low-yield Rieslings. Dry extract helps a wine to age well but there is otherwise no correlation between high extract and high quality in wine.
Heuriger
Derived from the word for ‘today’ but signifying by implication ‘this season’, or ‘the latest’, is an austrian institution whose social dimensions extend far beyond the only weeks-old wine so-described. Emperor Josef II in 1784 formally established the right of Austrian wine growers to dispense their young wines by the glass (along with a rudimentary repast) at establishments whose function was signified by the hanging of bush-like bundles of evergreens over the door, for which reason such an establishment is still referred to within Austria as a Buschenschank. The still-cloudy, often only partially fermented young wine is variously known as Staubiger (‘dusty one’), federweisser, or Sturm (‘storm’). Groups of Heurigen with their rows of tiny press houses at the edge of a village or its vineyards are prevalent throughout the former Hapsburg Empire, but within Austria many of these still double as dispensaries. The institution of Austrian wine taverns transcends those temporarily opened each season to serve the latest vintage by the glass or pitcher. Many of Austria’s top wine estates still run a year-round Heuriger at least on weekends out of economic necessity, sometimes less on account of the direct income than because this is a traditional means of establishing one’s brand and local market niche. The Heurigen of Austria’s thirsty capital Vienna and of the adjacent thermenregion are especially numerous and seasonally frenetic.
Bergwein
A seldom-encountered official category in austria for wine made on slopes steeper than 26% regardless of their region of origin (thus most often applying to the otherwise disparate wines of styria and the wachau).
Blauer Wildbacher
Ancient, dark-skinned, perfumed grape variety that is a speciality of western styria where almost all of the 422 ha/1,042 acres grown in Austria are located. The variety has been increasingly popular with growers and almost all of it is made into the notably tart, local pink speciality, Schilcher. dna parentage analysis suggests a parent–offspring relationship with gouais blanc.
Bouvier
Minor, low-acid white grape variety grown mainly in the Burgenland region of austria, where it is particularly used for federweisser, as well as for early-bottled wines. It can also be found in Slovenia, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Neubürger
sometimes distinguished white grape variety grown almost exclusively on almost 600 ha in austria. dna profiling in Austria showed it is a cross, possibly accidental, of roter veltliner × sylvaner, which makes nutty wine that tastes like an even fuller-bodied Weissburgunder. It is also encountered in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Transylvania in romania.
Sturm
Federweisser- German term for young wine popularly consumed before bottling—generally cloudy and often still fermenting—and typically referred to in Austria as Sturm or heuriger. Confusingly, the term Federweisser is used in German-speaking Switzerland to refer collectively to white wines made from black grapes.
Frühroter Veltliner
‘early-ripening, red-skinned veltliner’, is a white wine grape variety most commonly encountered in Austria, where plantings, mainly in the Weinviertel district of Lower Austria, had fallen to about 400 ha/1,000 acres by 2012. The wine produced is often less distinguished than that made from Austria’s most common grape variety grüner veltliner, being notably lower in acidity in many cases. Yields are also generally lower. dna profiling in Austria showed that Frühroter Veltliner is not related to Grüner Veltliner at all but is a spontaneous cross between roter veltliner and silvaner. It makes rather neutral wine and is well suited to producing white wines in a nouveau style. In Germany, it has been known in Rheinhessen, as Frühroter Malvasier or occasionally Roter Malvasier. It is slightly less rare in north west Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
Roter Veltliner
Pink-skinned grape variety formerly widespread in Austria (once planted in California) for the production of table grapes and powerful white wine, in 2012 grown on 200 ha/500 acres of Lower Austria. In warm years, if yields are restricted, it can make intensely aromatic, concentrated wines with high extract, especially in the Wagram district of Donauland. dna profiling in Austria revealed in 1998 that Roter Veltliner is a parent of rotgipfler, neuburger, and frühroter veltliner. A small amount is grown in savoie, where the wines are labelled Malvoisie.
Süd-Oststeiermark
Wine region of austria that covers a vast area, yet harbours only around 1,300 ha/3,200 acres of vineyard, little more than half that planted by its much smaller but densely planted neighbour südsteiermark. Süd-Oststeiermark’s top growers, however, stake claims for the distinctiveness of their individual sectors and villages, of which the best-known are Kapfenstein, Straden, Klöch, and Bad Radkersburg. Important varieties include Chardonnay, muskateller, Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling, and Traminer, which has a long association with several south-east Styrian communities.
Austria- 700 BC
The Celts and most probably their Illyrian predecessors begin to cultivate the vine in a primitive form and vitis vinifera grape pips dating from the Hallstatt cultural period, were discovered in former Celtic dwellings in the wine-producing village of Zagersdorf in Burgenland. In Lower Austria, further evidence of grape pips dating from the Bronze Age also suggest that vines were cultivated in the Traisental region, as well as, at this time in Stillfried and the March in the Weinviertel.
Austria- 1 BC
The Romans start extensive planting of grape vines and cultivation of the vine reaches our latitude, with evidence found along and around the River Danube, as well as close to the Neusiedlersee, Südburgenland and in the region of Carnuntum in Lower Austria and Flavia Solva in Südsteiermark.
Austria- 276- 282 AD
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus repeals Emperor Domitian’s ban on vine plantings north of the Alps and takes his troops to the Pannonian plains and authorises the planting of new vineyards.
Austria- 488 AD
The Romans finally relinquish their governance of the Province of Noricum, and in the following period of mass migration, a vast amount of the vines are abandoned.
Austria- 795 AD
Karl der Große, or Charlemagne, issued his “Capitulare de Villis“, which gave detailed information on viticulture, vines and wine law. During the course of the Carolingian colonialisation, viticulture was consistently encouraged in the regions to the east of France, leading to a cadastral map of vineyards, as well as the replanting of more beneficial grape vine varieties.
Austria- 890- 955 AD
Viticulture suffers a drastic setback following the Magyar invasion.
Austria- 10- 12th Century
In this century the Cistercians introduce Burgundian viticulture methods into Austria via the Stift Heiligenkreuz and Freigut Thallern monasteries in Thermenregion. Meanwhile, Bavarian dioceses and abbeys settling along the Danube, begin to clear and cultivate the river and tributaries, and build vineyard terraces in the Wachau. At this time, monasteries cultivated the vineyards, such as the Bavarian Niederaltaich, Herrieden, Tegernsee and Metten Abbeys are responsible for cultivating the vineyards, as well as Freising, Passau and Regensburg Dioceses, along with the Archbishop of Salzburg, who also owned territory in the region.
Austria- 1170 AD
Vienna enjoys a viticultural boom after the House of Babenberg is relocated to the capital city. The Viennese citizens are allowed to purchase vineyards, leading to many parts within the inner city becoming cultivated vineyards.
Austria- 1327 AD
The Seitzerkeller, owned by the Mauerbach Charterhouse, moves to the Dorotheergasse in Vienna, and subsequently over sixty cellar rooms are converted into drinking parlours, or so called “Trinkstuben“, where the proprietor serves his own produce.
Austria- 1359 AD
Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, declares a 10% wine tax, known as the “Ungeld“, and introduces laws in favour of landlords and imposes an array of tolls allowing towns and territorial princes to charge for the transit and import of wines.
Austria- 15th- 16th Century
During this century the total area under vine in Austria reaches its zenith, and vast vineyards stretch along the Danube from Vienna to Upper Austria in the west, and down towards Semmering in Styria, as well as in Salzburg, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, with as much as three times the vineyard acreage found today.
Austria- 1524 AD
Queen Maria of Hungary granted the vintners from the town of Rust the privilege of branding a capital ‘R’ onto their wine casks, as an early form of Protected Designation of Origin.
Austria- 1526 AD
The Royal Esterhàzy family vineyards produce the first documented noble sweet dessert wine (most probably a Trockenbeerenauslese) from the village of Donnerskirchen, Burgenland. Regarded as the Lutherwein, Prince Paul Esterházy purchased a large vat of the wine in 1653, and the same wine was enjoyed for over 300 years, the last drop being allegedly poured in 1852.
Austria- 1582 AD
Johann Rasch (1540-1612) from the Schottenstift (Scottish Abbey) in Vienna, publishes his well known work “Von Baw, Pfleg und Brauch des Weins“ as the author of the first viticulture and wine book in the German language.
Austria- 17th Century
Production of wine curbs due to religious conflict, the siege of the Turks, high taxation and the upturn in beer production.
Austria- 1681 AD
The town of Rust on Lake Neusiedl pays the immense sum of 60,000 Gulden and 500 pails of Ausbruch wine to become a Free Imperial City.
Austria- 18th Century
Maria Theresia (reigned from 1740 to 1780) and her son Josef II (reigned from 1780 to 1790) revitalise viticulture and during this period, renovation and research into the cultivation of vines and wines begins.
Austria- 1784 AD
The Josephinische Zirkularverordnung Decree of 17 August 1784 allowes every person to serve and sell own produce, including wine, at any time of the year and at whatever given price („die von ihm selbst erzeugten Lebensmittel, Wein und Obstmost zu allen Zeiten des Jahres, wie, wann und zu welchem Preis er will, zu verkaufen oder auszuschenken“). This is therefore the beginning of the famous Buschenschank legislation, and the first step towards the ‘Heurigen’ and ‘Buschenschänken’ in Austria.
Austria- 1860 AD
Baron August Wilhelm von Babo founds the first viticultural and oenoloigcal school and research centre in Klosterneuburg, which is passed into the management of the State in 1874, and has been known as Höheren Lehranstalt für Wein- und Obstbau (Federal College of Viticulture, Oenology and Fruit) since 1902. This is officially the oldest viticulture school in the world and many similar institutes emerged from this model throughout the Monachy.
Austria- 19th Century
First sightings of Oidium (powdery mildew) in 1850 and Peronospora (downy mildew) in 1878 in vineyards. The unheeded introduction of phylloxera in 1872 destroyed extensive vineyard acreage and viticulture livelyhood in Austria.
Austria- 1890 AD
Ludwig Hermann Goethe becomes Managing Director of the Agricultural Association, set up to protect Austrian viticulture, and publishes pioneering documentation into viticultre and origins of vine varieties in our latitude.
Austria- 1907 AD
The first Austrian wine law is enforced, listing what is permitted by law for the production of wine, and prohibiting the fabrication of artificial wines.
Austria- 1918 AD
Following the breakup of the Habsburg Monachy, Austria’s vineyard area is reduced some 30,000 hectares right up until the 1930’s (compared with 48,000 hectares prior to the outbreak of the First World War)
Austria- 1922 AD
Professor Friedrich Zweigelt, later Director of the Höheren Bundeslehr- und Bundesversuchsanstalt für Wein-, Obst- und Gartenbau college in Klosterneuburg, successfully crosses the indigenous varieties St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch, and creates Austria’s most significant new variety, the Blauer Zweigelt.
Austria- 1936 AD
The Ministry of Agriculture passes a new viticultural law prohibiting the planting of new vineyards as well as hybrid direct producers. This represents a prime example of the strong protectionist nature of the agricultural policies during the First Republic.
Austria- 1950 AD
Lenz Moser, the wine pioneer from Rohrendorf, publishes his groundbreaking book “Weinbau einmal anders“ (a new approach to viticulture), that argued against most of the traditional viticultural methods. The fairly rapid conversion to the ‘Hochkultur’ during the 1950’s trellising system led to a mechanised and rationalisation of viticulture, coupled with a notable increase in yield. In the eighties, as much as 90 percent of the acreage under vine was trained using the ‘Hochkultur’ system.
Austria- 1985 AD
The wine scandel unleashes an unprecidented price reduction of tank wine after the it was discovered that Austrian wine has been adulterated by the illegal additive diethylene glycol. Consequently, export sales of Austrian wine virtually diminish overnight and within a year, the new, stringent wine law is introduced, to supervise and inspect Austrian wine.
Austria- 1986 AD
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board is established, to specifically promote the image and sale of Austrian wine.
Austria- 1991 AD
The Austrian ‘Weinakademie’, the first recognised WSET school to teach to diploma level in the German language, is established in Rust. The centre offers a wide range of courses and programmes aimed at promoting wine culture. Today, over 1,000 seminars and 20,000 participants attend these courses annually, making it Europe’s largest wine school
Austria- 1995 AD
Following Austria’s entry into the European Union, the European Community Wine Legislation is acknowledged.
Austria- 2000 bis 2008
EU measures are introduced to promote and financially support wineries, yet at the same time, subsidies are handed out to encourage the voluntary grubbing up of vines, to curb surplus production.
Austria- 2001
Regional wine committees, promoting wine on a local level, is established with close cooperation with the Austrian Wine Marketing Board. Their purpose is to improve the communication and sales of the produce in their regions, as well as to supervise agricultural contract issues, quality measures. Their role is significant in defining a regional typicity for the wine style and its promotion and publicity, in their specific region. The National wine body also supervises and liases with the local committees.
Austria- 2001
An amendment in the wine law allows a wine displaying regional typicity, as defined by the regional committee, to apply the term DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) to the name of the wine producing region. Only these wines, examined and approved by the State commission control number and a further requirement for regional typicity, are allowed to print e.g. Weinviertel DAC, onto the label. Non-defined varieties or other styles are marketed under the larger wine producing region, e.g. Niederösterreich.
Austria- 2002
The London blind tasting of Grüner Veltliner versus Chardonnay from prominent international producers, is organised by Jan-Erik Paulson and hosted by Jancis Robinson MW and Tim Atkin MW. From over 30 wines, the top four places are given to Austrian Chardonnays and Grüner Veltliners, with a further 3 wines ranked in the top ten. Similar tastings in Vienna, Tokyo and Singapore, which included sought after wines from Ramonet, Louis Latour, Jadot (Burgund), Gaja (Piedmont), Mondavi (California) and Penfolds (Australia), led to similar results.
Austria- 2003
The first official DAC wine displaying regional typicity and origin, the dry Weinviertel DAC Grüner Veltliner, is released with the 2002 vintage.
Austria- 2006
Austria’s first red wine to gain DAC status is the Blaufränkisch from Mittelburgenland (2005 vintage). This time, the DAC wine showing regional typicity and origin is released in two categories, the Klassik and Reserve wines.
Austria- 2007- 2009
The release of the 2006 vintage witnesses further wines of origin, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner Traisental DAC. Likewise for Kremstal DAC from the 2007 vintage, and Kamptal DAC from 2008, both varieties are available in classic and reserve categories. Weinviertel DAC Reserve is available from the 2009 vintage.
Austria- 2010
From 1 September 2010, two further wines of origin from Burgenland are available. The Leithaberg DAC (white from 2009 and red from 2008 vintages) as well as Eisenberg DAC (Blaufränkisch, Klassik from 2009 vintage, Reserve from 2008 vintage).
Austria- 2012
In March 2012, the Neusiedlersee DAC designation of origin goes into effect. With this, Zweigelt from the region is named as the origin-typical grape variety. Reserve level wines can be composed of a cuvée blend that is Zweigelt-dominated. The new designation of origin applies to wines made as of the 2011 vintage.
Austria- 2013
From the 2013 vintage Wiener Gemischter Satz became Austria’s ninth DAC designation of origin.
The Danube Area
From the Wachau to the west to Vienna, Grüner Veltliner and Riesling with great backbone are dominant. Streams of warm Pannonian air wafting across the Wagram into the side-valleys of the Danube (Strassertal, Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental…) and finally through the narrow valley of the Wachau, carved deeply by the Danube over thousands of years into the primitive rock of the Bohemian Massif. Danube wines aromas are the result of the big temperature difference which occur during the day and night. These are generated especially during sunny Septembers, whose evenings are blanketed with cool air that makes its way down from the north. The alluring charm of these wines lies in the freshness of the aromas along with the high physiological ripeness resulting from the long vegetation cycle that keeps harvests going well into November. The peach or gooseberry aromas of the steely Riesling, the nutty scent of the longevity-prone Neuburger, the intense grapy bouquet of the Muskateller, the fresh, delicate floweriness of the Weißburgunder and the piquant honey note of the Roter Veltliner are reflections of nature´s breath. Moreover, even with this freshness, the increasing layers of loess soil give to the wines (e.g. from Krems to the east) a creamy texture, which is especially demonstrated in the Grüner Veltliner. And more and more often, the Danube wine-growing regions also yield elegant and fruity red wines. The distinct differences in the terroirs here are being explored.
