Austria Flashcards
History of winemaking in Austria
Cistercian monks 10-12th century brought Burgundian wine culture and helped establish terraced hills in Wachau
1900 first law was established (prohibiting hybrids)
1970’ scadal - antifreeze agent to increase alcohol and sweetness
Exports dropped by 30%
Re-establish reputation for premium wines
Climate
Cool continental
Cool northerly winds (northern vineyards)
Warm Adriatic influence (Steiemark)
Pannonian climate (Burgenland -east)
Cool breezes from Alps (vineyards on Danube - west)
Spring frost issues
Hail in Steiemark
Soil Austria
2 main types:
Thin soil over rock (granite or gneiss - crystaline bedrock material known as Urgestein) - Riesling
Richer soils such as loess (Gruner)
Some volcanic material around Steiemark and Kamptal
Traditional training system for high production
Lenz Moser
Cordon trained to hight of 1.4m (wider rows to avoid shading)
allows for mechanization and little maintenance
Replaced by Guyot (single or double) with VSP
Irrigation
May be required in some drier regions such as Niederosterreich
Low disease pressure
Rainfall
Low disease pressure
Between 450 and 850
Irrigation may be required in some places
Maximum yield through Austria
67.5 hl/ha
average 52 hl7ha
Gruner Veltliner
31% of plantings
Does not thrive on dry soils
Suitable on clay or loess
Vigorious (required good canopy management)
Thick skins (can be very phenolic after skin contact)
Med+ (high) acidity
Typically unoaked
Citrus, green fruit, peach, pepper
Suitable for ageing
Welchriesling
Not related to Riesling
High acidity
Neutral aromatics, no oak
Usually made into fresh wine for early drinking
Thin skins suitable for desset wines
Pronounced tropical fruit aroma and high acidity with ability to develop in bottle
Also used for Sekt
Riesling
only over 4%
mainly Niederosterreich
Warm sites on thin soils
Almost always full bodied with med alcohol, ripe stone fruit, high acidity
Becoming nutty, honeyed, petrol notes
Zweigelt
Most planted black variety (14%)
Crossing of Sankt Laurent and Blaurankisch (ripens earlier and more easily, can be high yielding)
Vigorous
Potassium defficiency can lead to withenig of grapes before they ripen - loss of crop
Not susceptible to frost or rot
Med+ (high) tannins Red fruit (cherry)
Blaufrankisch
Med+ (high) tannins
Deep colour
Black fruit
Ageworthy
Buds early (vulnerable to frost) Ripens late (needs warmth)
Thick skin - not prone to rot
Can overproduce (green aromas)
Burgenland (Leithaberg DAC, Mittelburgenland DAC)
Sankt Laurent
deep ruby colour
Medium tannins
Red cherry
White winemaking
Mostly to preserve primary fruit
short period of skin contact (aroma)
Ferment in neutral vessel
Temperature control
Gruner and Riesling usually do not go through malo
Stored in old wood or steel
Leaving on fine lees for six months or longer (texture)
Dry styles
Red winemaking
Large open-top with punch down or pump overs
Stored in stainless or old oak 300-600L or larger to soften tannins without extracting oak
Some aged in barriques
Some use acacia (oxygenation without vanilla flavours)
Lots of experimenting
Austrian wine law
Mix of Germanic and Romanic system linked to origin (DAC - Districtus Austriae Controlatus)
EU rules (PDO and PGI)
- Taffelwein - without GI
- Landwein - with PGI
- Qualitatswein (including Pradikatswein) - PDO (undergoes govenment inspection)
Tafelwein and Landwein only 12%
Within Qualitatswein
- Klassik (vintage declared, showing varietal character)
- Reserve (dry, min 13%, typically harvested and released later)
Pradikatswein (based on must weight and time of harvest)
- Kabinet is not included in Austria
- Spatlese
- Auslese
- Beerenauslese
- Trockenbeerenauslese
- TBA in Rust - labelled Ausbruch
- Eiswein
Ausbruch
Trockenbeerenauslese in Rust
Pradikatswein in Austria
Kabinet is not included in Austria
- Spatlese
- Auslese
- Beerenauslese
- Trockenbeerenauslese
- TBA in Rust - labelled Ausbruch
- Eiswein
Regionaly typical Qualitatswein - DAC
Promoting regional typicity (not guarantee of quality)
Only specific grapes for each DAC
Tasted by pannel (untypical wines are regected)
New-ware wines might not be eligible even though their quality is high
Regional (Gebietswein)
Village (Ortswein)
Single vineyard (Riedenwein)
Gebietswein
Regional appelation
Ortswein
Village
Riedenwein
Single vineyard
Regional wine
Gebietswein
Village wine
Ortswein
Single vineyard wine
Riedenwein
2 important grower associations
Osterreichische Traditionsweinguter (OTW)
Vinea Wachau
Osterreichische Traditionsweinguter (OTW)
Group of producers form Kemptal, Kremstal, Traisental, Wagram, Vienna and Carnuntrum
Classified their vineyards as Burgundy based on soil and climate
Single vineyard wines use Erste Lage Logo
Vinea Wachau
Classified single vineyards based on soil and climate
Registered trademarks for white wine:
- Steinfeder (fruity, dry, min 11.5%)
- Federspiel (more concentrated, up to 12.5%)
- Smaragd (concentrated, dry, ripe fruit aroma, min. 12.5%)
4 Main regions in Austria
Niederosterreich
Burgenland
Steiemark
Wien
Sub regions in Niederosterreich
Wachau
Kremstal
Kamptal
Wagram
Weinviertel
Thermenregion
Wachau
Along north bank of Danube
Steep terraces (best south facing) retain heat and radiate it back at night
Danube reflects heat
Riesling on gneiss soils, Gruner on loess soils
only around 460mm of rain - irrigation often necessary
In some years noble rot develops (humidity from Danube)
Almost exclusively premium wines
no DAC
F.X. Pichler, Franz Hirtzberger
Domaine Wachau co-op
Expression of Vinea Wachau classified wies
Dry (less than 9g/l of RS)
citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit (Smaragd)
Light to full bodied
Sometimes above 14% alcohol for Gruner
No oak influence
Medium + (high) acidity
Can improve with bottle age
Kremstal
Influenced by warm Pannonian plain
DAC only for Gruner and Riesling
Reds (not DAC) labelled Niederosterreich from Zweigelt - fruity, easy style with minimal oak
Salomon Undhof, Lenz Moser
co-op Weingut Stadt Krems
Kamptal
River Kamp flowing through
50% Gruner (then Zweigelt and Riesling)
Influenced by warm Pannonian plain and cold air from Bohemian Massif.
Large diurnal range - high level of acidity
DAC only Gruner and Riesling (reds labelled Niederosterreich)
Fruity easy Zweigelt
Brundlmayer, Hirsch
Wagram
Both north and south from Danube on gently rolling hills.
Strong warming influence from Pannonian plain.
Dominated with loess - Gruner Veltliner
(Other Roter Veltliner - full body, nutty with age)
No DAC - Gruner in Klassik and Reserve style (subtle oak influence)
Most wine are dry with a bit of eiswein and late harvest
Weinviertel
Largest appellation
More than half of Gruner (only allowed grape in DAC)
400-600mm rain
Cooling breezes from north - high diurnal range - very peppery aromatics, high acidity
DAC allows Gruner only. Reserve must be min 13% and allows some botrytis and berrel ageing
Green fruit aroma, strong pepper tones, medium + body, high acidity
Sohn & Kracher
Thermenregion
Warm air from Pannonian plain - dominated by red wine (50%)
High quality Sankt Laurent and Pinot Noir (red fruit, spice from oak, high acidity) can improve with age
White varieties
- Neuberger (spicy, floral)
- Zierfander (aromatic, peach, honey, spice)
- Rotgipfler (full bodied, peach)
Generaly found grapes in Burgenland
Climate
Warmer area in Austria (Pannonian influence)
Dominated by balck varieties - Blaufrankisch and Zweigelt
Gruner (not as high quality as Niederosterreich - too warm) and Welschriesling (botrytised wines)
Regions in Burgenland
Neusiedlersee
Leithaberg
Mittelburgenland
Neusiedlersee
Around shallow lake (Neusiedlersee), flat warm, humid.
Lake keeps warm temperature in autumn, creating morning fog followed by afternoon sunshine
Consistent noble rot every vintage - TBA styles from Welschriesling
High acidity, aroma of marmelae, usually not oaked, capable of ageing
Black varieties: Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch. DAC for Zweigelt
DAC Klassik - must be 100% Zweigelt (minimal influence of oak)
Reserve wines - min. 60% Zweigelt and can be blended with Blaufrankisch, Pinot Noir or Skt Laurent - typically aged in oak
Krutzler, Alois Kracher
Leithaberg
large number of styles
Rust - Ausbruch TBA produced
Leithaberg hills provide diurnal range - higher acidity
DAC for reds - min. 85% Blaufrankisch, must be aged in oak
DAC for whites - Weissburgunder, Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner, Neuburger
Mittelburgenland
Exposed to Pannonian plain - warm climate - dominated by Blaufrankisch
DAC min 85% of Blaufrankisch
3 different styles:
- DAC - stainless or large oak
- DAC + Vineyard designation - slightly higher min. alcohol, typically aged in large oak or barriques
- DAC Reserve -slighly higher min. alcohol, longer min. maturation and typically aged in large oak or barriques
Steiermark
also known as Styria
steep hills, some terraced vineyards
Cold winters - freeze can be issue, hail, frost as well (netting against hail is used)
Known for crisp dry white wines with high acidity (high diurnal range) for immediate drinking
Welschriesling, Weissburgunder, Sauvignon Blanc
DAC for subregions:
- Vulkanland Steiermark DAC
- Sudsteiermark DAC
- Weststeiermark DAC
Wein
Around and in the city
DAC is white wine called Wiener Gemischter Satz
- must be blend (20 grapes permitted)
- must be dry and unoaked
- can be labelled with indication of vineyard site
Wine business
Highly fragmented sector, no large co-op, big number of individual growers
More than half sold in hospitality sector
Heurigen - small inns with simple food and local wine
People pay more for Austrian wine than for imported wines
Move towards quality
Export around 20% - Germany, Switzerland, USA
Promotional body - Austrian Wine Markeing Board
Heurigen
Small inns with simple food and local wine from current vintage
