Austrian - Soil Types

Question 1

Kremstal

Answer 1

The vineyards to the east of Krems, towards the villages of Rohrendorf and Gedersdorf, have deep loess terraces. This not only adds a certain appeal to the landscape, it also produces a softer, more opulent style of Veltliner.

Question 2

Kamptal

Answer 2

Kamptal boasts a variety of terroir, ranging from loess to gravel to crystalline sites and red feldspathic sandstones and conglomerates, as on the highly regarded Heiligenstein. The name derives from the blazing sunshine that cause a hot and dry microclimate. The geological development of the rock is rather special, is between 320 and 250 million year olds, formed desert-like conditions as a flashflood deposit and includes volcanic particles.Along the steep terraces of the south-facing slopes, that in places are so steep that no layers of loess can form a hold, Riesling vines are planted, producing powerful, mineral wines with exceptional aging potential.

Question 3

Wagram

Answer 3

Layers of loess formed in the Ice Age cover the substrate of marine deposits and river gravels (the name Wagram comes from “Wogenrain” meaning “shore”) and shape the landscape. The Grüner Veltliner in particular, benefits with maturing hearty and spicy wines, with substance and drinking pleasure in the classic and dry styles, as well as the rich, characterful Reserves. Grapes also grown: Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and Roter Veltliner.

Question 4

Wien

Answer 4

In the southern parts of Vienna, calcareous, brown and black earth soils around Mauer, Rodaun and Oberlaa favour the production of full-bodied white wines and rich, supple red wines. Virtually all Viennese producers cultivate grapes for the traditional ‘Gemischter Satz’, which is comprised of different varieties planted together in a vineyard and that are also harvested together all at one time and turned into wine.

The major Vienna vineyards are situated upon the consolidated rocks of the Penninic Flysch and intercalated coloured marls as well as on marginal marine sediments of the Vienna Basin. The flysch consists of partly calcareous and partly quartz-rich sandstones with marl and clay layers. The deposits of the basin margin are composed of consolidated limestone (Leitha Limestone), of unconsolidated but mostly coarse sand and gravel and rarely of marl.

Question 5

Burgenland

Answer 5

Over 60 percent of the vineyards in this area are dominated by diverse, coarse-grained, calcareous sandy gravels deposited along the ancient course of the Danube. Particularly noteworthy is the Seewinkel gravel, which underlays about a third of the vineyards. These gravels are only covered locally by fine sediments. In the older terraces a loamy, often lime-poor cover layer is widely distributed.

Question 6

Niederösterreich

Answer 6

fine-grained loess and coarse-grained terrace gravels, which are significant for wine growing, may overlay all the main geological units. Loess forms the initial material of the deep soils which show a varying calcareous-dolomitic content for just over half of the vineyards in this area. Aside from locally formed marls and sandstones, conglomerates and the Leitha Limestone, the dominant rocks here are unconsolidated. They vary from clayey silt to sand to gravel and rock debris in all proportions and can also differ greatly in carbonate content.