Austria & Switzerland Flashcards
What is the name of the compound that was added to Austrian wines to give them texture leading to a scandal that would forever scar the national wine industry there? What year was this?
Diethylene glycol
1985
What are the four major wine growing regions of Austria from North to South? Which two account for 90% of the country’s vineyards?
Niederösterreich
Wien (Vienna)
Burgenland
Styra (Steiermark)
Niederösterreich & Burgenland account for 90%
What are the 6 major white grapes of Austria in decreasing order of acreage under vine?
Grüner Veltliner Welschriesling Müller Thurgau Weissburgunder Riesling Chardonnay
What are the two synonyms for Chardonnay in Austria?
Morillon
Feinburgunder
What two grapes were crossed to create Zweigelt?
Blaufränkisch x St. Laurent
What two grapes were crossed to create Blauburger?
Blaufränkisch x Blauer Portugieser
What are the four major red grapes of Austria in decreasing order of acreage under vine?
Zweigelt
Blaufränkisch
Blauer Portugieser
Blauburger
What are the three broad tiers of wine quality in Austria starting from the top?
Qualitätswein
Landwein
Wein
Qualitätswein is subdivided into what two categories?
Prädikatswein
Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC)
What does DAC stand for?
Disctrictus Austriae Controllatus
What two additional categories exist in Prädikatswein that do not exist in the German Prädikat system?
Strohwein
Ausbruch
What is strohwein and what level of ripeness is it equivalent to in the ladder of Prädikatswein?
A wine produced from dried grapes and must be at least Beerenauslese in ripeness
What style of wine is the town of Rust known for?
Ausbruch
Name all of the existing DACs for Austria (9) and list them by region from North to South.
Niederösterreich (4) Weinviertel Traisental Kremstal Kamptal Wien (1) Wiener Gemischter Satz Burgenland (4) Mittelburgenland Leithaberg Eisenberg Neusiedlersee
Name the KMW values for every level of Qualitatswein and Pradikatswein.
Qualitatswein >15 KMW (can be chaptalised to 19 KMW for whites and 20 KMW for reds)
Kabinett >14 KMW (Cannot be chaptalised from this category forward)
Prädikatswein: Spätlese >19 KMW Auslese >21 KMW Beerenauslese/Eiswein/Strohwein (Schilfwein) >25 KMW Ausbruch >27 KMW Trockenbeerenauslese >30 KMW
What is the minimum alcohol % requirements for each DAC?
Kamptal/Kremstal/Traisental/Weinviertel/Eisenberg/ Neusiedlersee (12% for Classic and 13% for Reserve)
Leithaberg (12.5%)
Mittelburgenland (12.5% for Classic, 13% for Classic with Specified Site, and 13% for Reserve)
12.5% for Wines without geographic indication “Wien” and also for Single Vineyard Wines.
What are the three geographical areas (Weinbauregionen) for Landwein?
Weinland (covers the area defined as Niederösterreich)
Steierland (Steiermark)
Bergland (500ha of vineyard land scattered throughout the remainder of Austria’s mountainous countryside)
Which category replaced Tafelwein in time for the 2009 vintage? What is the most exclusive statement of origin that can exist for this category? Can it carry vintage and varietal on the label?
Wein
“Österreich”
Yes. Can carry both vintage and varietal.
Most of Austria’s lusciously sweet wines are produced around what lake? What major wine region is this located in?
Neusiedlersee
What are the 8 subzones of Niederösterreich?
Weinviertel Carnuntum Traisental Wagram Kremstal Kamptal Wachau Thermenregion
What is the name of the Niederösterreich’s largest sub zone and Austria’s first DAC?
Weinviertel
What is the name of the western-most subregion of Niederösterreich? What are the villages that represent the boundaries of this region (between which two villages)?
Wachau
Between Melk & Krems
What are the levels of classification according to must weights in Wachau? What are their KMW values and alcohol ranges? Describe the style of wine produced at each level.
Steinfeder (min 15°KMW with no more than 11.5% alcohol) Lightest and freshest style. Name of a local strain of feathery grass.
Federspiel (min 17°KMW with alcohol between 11.5-12.5%) Light and fresh but with more richness and fuller body than Steinfeder. Name derived from the local sport of Falconry.
Smaragd (min 19 °KMW with minimum alcohol of 12.5%) Richest and fullest style and invariably shows tones of botrytis. Name means “emerald”. Also the name of a local lizard that suns on the rocks there.
What is the name of the organization sworn to uphold the tenets of natural winemaking as spelled out in the Codex Wachau? What are the winemaking stipulations and/or restrictions for members? Name 3 producers who are members.
Vinea Wachau
No additives (including chaptalization)
No aromatization (including the use of new barriques)
No “fractionation” (such as dealcoholization)
All wines released by members must be bottled in the region and vinified from grapes grown in the Wachau
FX Pichler
Emmerich Knoll
Prager
Which sub zone of the Niederösterreich was known as Donauland prior to 2007?
Wagram
Which grape is a specialty of Wagram? (hint: not Gruner or Riesling)
Roter Veltliner
What is Spätrot-Rotgipfler?
Blend speciality of the Thermenregion. The grapes are Rotgipfler and Zierfandler
What is the dominant grape of Carnuntum?
Zweigelt
What is the name of the field blend that is very popular in Carnuntum and also has its own DAC in Vienna? What is the DAC called?
Gemischter Satz
Wiener Gemischter Satz
Which of the four major wine growing regions of Austria is known for producing the country’s best reds and sweet wines?
Burgenland
What are the DAC zones of Burgenland?
Mittelburgenland
Leithaberg
Eisenberg
Neusiedlersee
What is the name of the DAC which was the first in Austria to allow both red and white wines?
Leithaberg
What is the name of the grape in Austria that is also known as Lemburger in Germany and Kékfrankos in Hungary?
Blaufrankisch
Where is Alois Kracher located and what is this estate known for production-wise? What grape is the estate known for that makes one of the finest expressions of TBA?
Neusiedlersee
Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines
Scheurebe
What grapes are used in the production of modern Ruster Ausbruch? (8)
Furmint Chardonnay Muskateller Pinot Blanc Neuburger Welschriesling Traminer Pinot Gris
What are the three subregions of Styria (Steiermark)?
Südsteiermark
Weststeiermark
Südoststeiermark
What kind of wine is Manfred Tement leading the way in production? (Grape and from which of the four major wine regions and subregion within what region)?
Unoaked and barrique-aged expressions of Sauvignon Blanc
Steiermark in the subregion of Südsteiermark
What is Schilcher, from what grape and from what subregion in Styria is it from?
Style of rosé that is a specialty in Westeiermark and produced from the Blauer Wildbacher grape
Wien is surrounded by what four Niederösterreich subzones?
Thermenregion
Carnuntum
Weinviertel
Wagram
What distinction does Wien hold compared to other wine appellations in the world?
The only capital city in Europe to have its own wine appellation within city limits.
What is Heuriger?
Nouveau wine consumed in its infancy in taverns of the same name.
What is Sturm?
Half-fermented, sparkling grape juice that usually accompanies harvest time meals.
Most of Austria’s wine growing regions are confined to which side of the country?
The eastern side
Which grape accounts for 30% of total plantings in Austria?
Gruner Veltliner
Which level of quality requires the wine to pass a tasting panel and chemical analysis, indicated by a State Control Number? What is the Austrian name for this number?
Qualitätswein Prüfnummer
What is the minimum alcohol content required for wines labeled pradikat?
5%
What is the maximum yield in kg/ha and hl/ha for all three levels of quality (all three are the same values)?
9,000kg/ha
67.5hl/ha
What does Niederösterreich translate to in English?
Lower Austria
What is the Pannonian Plain?
A former seabed of loess soils stretching from eastern Austria through Hungary and many countries of the former eastern bloc.
What is the Österreichishen Traditionsweingütter? What two grapes are the only to be allowed to carry the Austrian Erst Lage logo according to this organization’s system?
Roughly the equivalent of Germany’s VDP. An association of producers founded in 1992 that has characterized 52 top sites throughout Kremstal, Kamptal, Wagram, and Traisental giving them the designation of Erste Lage. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are the only two grapes allowed to carry Erste Lage designations under this organization’s hierarchy.
What does the term Ried represent on Austrian wine labels?
Term that replaces the village name of an Austrian wine label that indicates a top site; it’s an old custom
What is the name of the famous Wachau vineyard located in Weissenkirchen?
Achleiten
What is the approximate percentage of Switzerland’s annual production that gets exported?
10%
What is the name of the most cultivated white grape in Switzerland?
Chasselas
What grape is known as Johannisberg in Switzerland?
Sylvaner
What are the four other most planted white grapes in Switzerland?
Müller Thurgau
Sylvaner
Amigne of Vétroz
Petite Arvine
What is the synonym for Chasselas in Valais?
Fendant
What is Dôle and what grapes go into its production? Where is it produced principally?
Pinot Noir and Gamay
Valais
What is Vin des Glacier (grape, style, and how it’s stored)?
Specialty wine of Valais produced from the Rèze grape in a maderized style stored in high altitude soleras.
What are the six regional AOCs of Vaud?
Chablais La Côte Lavaux Vully Bonvillars Côtes de l'Orbe
What are the two Grands Crus of Vaud?
Dézaley
Calamin
What is Salvaging? hint: 4 grapes
Blend of Gamay, Pinot Noir, and the crossings Gamaret and Garanoir.
What is the grape used for Mittelburgenland DAC wines?
Blaufränkisch
Eisenberg is a DAC for producing red wines from what grape?
Blaufränkisch
In what non DAC region is Rust located in?
Neusiedlersee-Hügelland
How is the production of Ausbruch similar to Tokaji?
Rrichly concentrated botrytis-affected must is added to less concentrated must from fruit harvested in the same vineyard and the two are fermented together and then aged in barrel prior to release.
Muskateller/Gelber Muskateller is synonymous with what French Grape?
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Scheurebe is called what in Austria?
Sämling
What is Gruner Veltliner a crossing of?
Savagnin x St. Georgener (extinct)
Grapes used for the production of Ausbruch are in what state?
They are either naturally dried on the vine or they have been dehydrated by botrytis.
What does KMW stand for? What is it used for?
Klosterneuburger Mostwage scale. Used for measuring must weights at harvest to determine ripeness classifications.
When was the DAC system first commissioned? What was the first and when?
2001
Weinviertel was the first in 2003 for Gruner Veltliner wines.
List the nine DACs of Austria and the permissible grape varieties for each.
Niederösterreich Weinviertel (Grüner Veltliner) Traisental (Grüner or Riesling) Kremstal (Grüner or Riesling) Kamptal (Grüner or Riesling)
Wien
Wiener Gemischter Satz (at least three high quality grapes must be used and one grape may not make up more than 50% of the blend. 20 Grapes are permitted)
Burgenland
Eisenberg (Blaufränkisch)
Mittelburgenland (Blaufränkisch)
Neusiedlersee (Zweigelt Focused)
Rosalia (Blaufrankish & Zweigelt)
Leithaberg (Only to allow Red & White wines)…
Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Neuburger, and Gruner for whites. Blaufränkisch blended with up to 15 % St. Laurent, Zweigelt, or Pinot Noir for reds
Schilcherland (Rose only, Schilcher from Blauer Wildbaceher)
How does Ausbruch compare to Beerenauslese? Trockenbeerenauslese?
Ausbruch is more honeyed and bruléed compared to Beerenauslese, but has less residual sugar than TBA.
Morillon (Chardonnay) produced in Styria is made in style similar to what French wine region?
Chablis
What is rouge du pays?
Swiss indigenous variety known for super-juicy, spicy red wines. Incorrectly called “cornalin” locally.
