Austria Flashcards
Where did the style of Trockenbeerenauslese originate?
TBA was first recorded in Austria in 1526, 200 years before Spatlese in Germany
What was the major Austria viticulture research centre and what kind of innovations did it focus on?
Klosterneuberg, established in 1860.
The centre focused its attention on grape crossings, higher yields and mechanising vineyards
Dr Lenz Moser developed wired trellising in the 1950s.
This pushed Austria towards a mass production focused wine region.
What was the chemical that famously ruined Austrias wine reputation, what year and what was the response?
Diethylene glycol - antifreeze
1985
Added to give light wines added texture
In response Austria drafted some of the strictest wine laws in the world and have established themselves as a serious quality region of the old world
What is a weinbaugebiete?
Austrian major wine region
What are the major wine regions of Austria (north to south)
4 weinbaugebiete
- Niederösterreich
- Wien (Vienna)
- Burgenland
- Styria (Steiermark)
Niederösterreich and Burgenland contain 90% of all production
What are the grapes of Austria?
White •Gruner Veltliner •Welschriesling •Muller-Thurgau •Weisburgunder •Riesling (Morillon) •Chardonnay (Feinburgunder)
Red •Zweigelt(blaufrankisch X St. Laurent) •Blaufrankisch •Blauer Portugieser •Blauburger(Blauer Portugieser X Blaufrankisch)
What is Sussreseerve?
A german/Austrian term for the addition of unfermented grape must free of microorganisms to a wine as a sweetening component
What is a DAC and who uses it?
DAC or Districtus Austriae Controllatus is the Austrian appellation system
What are the levels of quality in Austrian wine?
3 main
•Wein (replaced by Tafelwein in 09
•Landwein
•Qualitatswein
Qualitatswein is broken down further into the categories of pradikatswein and DAC
Pradikatswein also includes
•Strohwein - dried grape wine of at least BA
•Ausbruch - sweet speciality of Rust
Explain the 3 major levels of quality in Austria
- Wein - generic category replaced by Tafelwein in 09. May be labeled vintage and varietal but no more.
- Landwein - must be one of the 36 approved varietals, must be labeled as one of the 3 Weinbauregionens (Weinland, Steierland or Bergland)
- Qualitatswein- one of 36 varietals, from a single weinbaugebiete or one of the smaller 16 regions, must past tasting panel and chemical analysis. Kabbinet is considered an extension of this level.
All levels have a max yield of 9000kg/ha
What is Weinbauregionen?
Weinbauregionen is the large areas declared as the regions from which Landwein production may occur.
Weinland - Niederösterreich, Wein and Burgenland
Steierland - Steirmark
Bergland - 500Ha of stuff just around Austria
Where is Austria’s sweet wine production mostly cantered around?
The lake of Neusiedlersee in Burgenland
How many DACs are there?
14
What is the Austrian sekt committee and what do they do?
The Austrian Sekt committee is a group formed in 2013 to bring international attention to high quality Austrian sparkling wine.
Austrian Sekt with PDO is differentiated by carrying the offical seal on the capsule with the words “Geschutzter Ursprung, geprufte Qualität” or protected designation of origin and certified quality”
What are the 3 levels of quality in Austrian sparkling?
- Klassik- min 9 months on lees, tank, transfer and traditional method, all colours, all levels of dosage.
- Reserve- 18 months min, traditional method, grown and vinified in one of the federal states, vintage may be listed, only 12g/L of RS (Brut, extra brut, Brut natural)
- Grosse Reserve- 30 months min on lees, cannot be released until 3 years after harvest, traditional method, grown in a single wine village, hand harvested, vintage may be listed, only 12g/L of RS (Brut, extra brut, Brut natural)
- Hauersekt - may be added to a Grosse Reserve Sekt to indicate that it is a grower wine. Must list village, Vintage and grape varietal
What is Hauersekt and what kind of wine does it produce?
Hauersekt - may be added to a Grosse Reserve Sekt to indicate that it is a grower wine. Must list village, Vintage and grape varietal
What is the largest Weinbaugebiete in austria?
Niederösterreich- over twice what is planted in Burgenland (second largest)
What is the climactic features of Niederösterreich?
Niederösterreich in Austria is set mostly on the Pannonia Plain, former seabed with Loess soils(slit sized fast draining).
The continental climate is hot, dry summers and freezing winters.
Most of the subzones are located along the Danube river and its tributaries
What are the subzones of Niederösterreich?
8 Subzones •Weinviertel •Carnuntum •Traisental •Wagram •Kremstal •Kamptal •Wachau •Thermenregion
Where are the vineyard lands of Austria located in the country?
Along the western boarder