History Flashcards
When did Austrian wine begin to flourish?
In the Roman era after Probus’s repeal of provincial viticulture.
Who influenced the development of the vine in Austria?
Charlemagne and the Cistercian Monks
When did Vienna become a major center for wine trade?
13th Century
When was the first evidence of Trockenbeerenauslese in Austria?
1526
-predated Spätlese in Germany by 200 years
What contributed to the shrinkage of Austrian wine production in the 1700s?
- 17th Century War
- Taxes
How big was Austrian wine production after WWII?
Austria was the worlds third largest producer
What caused Austria’s commercial success in the 20th Century?
Innovations and developments similar to those being pursued in Germany.
- viticultural research institute at Klosterneuburg built in 1860
- focused attention on grape crossings and higher yields
- mechanization of the vineyards followed Dr. Lenz Moser’s development of the wire trellising system in the 1950s—a viticultural breakthrough with worldwide ramifications
What is Diethylene glycol?
A colorless, odorless, poisonous chemical
- gave a light wine some added texture
- contributed the the “antifreeze” scandal of 1985
How did Austria respond to the antifreeze scandal?
It drafted some of the strictest wine laws in Europe and refocusing on quality.
What are the four major Weinbaugebiete of Austria from North to South?
Niederösterreich
Wien (Vienna)
Burgenland
Styria (Steiermark)
90% of Austria’s vineyards are located in these Weinbaugebiete/
Niederösterreich
Burgenland
What is the most cultivated white grape variety in Austria?
Grüner Veltliner
-31% of total vineyard acreage
White grape varieties of Austria.
Grüner Veltliner Welschriesling Müller Thurgau Weißburgunder Riesling Chardonnay
What are synonyms of Chardonnay in Austria?
Morillon
Feinburgunder
What is the most planted red grape of Austria?
Zweigelt
Zweigelt was developed when? It is a crossing of what two grape varities?
- 1922
- Blaufränkisch x St. Laurent
Red grape varieties of Austria.
Zweigelt
Blaufränkisch
Blauer Portugieser
Blauburger
Blauburger is a crossing of what two grapes?
Blauer Portugieser x Blaufränkisch
What % of total acreage in Austria are white grape varieites?
67%
-as of 2015
What are the three levels of quality defined by Austrian wine law?
Wein
Landwein
Qualitätswein
What are the specifications for Qualitätswein?
- Highest quality of caliber and regional specificity
- Sourced from a single Weinbaugebiete or one of the 17 smaller wine regions
- May be produced from one or more of 40 permitted grapes
- must past a tasting panel and chemical analysis (indicated by a State Control Number)
- Indication of the red and white banderole on the capsule’s label
What is a Prüfnummer?
A state control number that indicates a chemical analysis on Qualitätswein bottlings.
What category did Wein replace and when?
Tafelwein
-in time for the 2009 vintage
What are the specifications of Wein?
- May carry a vintage date and varietal on the label
- May not exhibit a more exclusive statement of origin than Österreich.
What are the specifications of Landwein?
- Restricted to the same 40 varieties permitted for Qualitätswein
- Labeled by one of the three broad geographic areas
What % of Austria’s vineyards account for Qualitätswein?
80%
What does Weinbauregionen mean?
A broad geographic area
What are the three Weinbauregionen of Austria?
Weinland
Stiererland
Bergland
What area does Weinland cover?
Niederösterreich
Wien
Burgenland
What area does Stiererland pertain to?
Stiermark
What area does Bergland pertain to?
Includes just under 250 ha of vineyard land scattered throughout the remainder of Austria’s mountainous countryside.
What are the maximum yields for Weinland, Stiererland and Bergland?
67.5 hl/ha
What are the categories of Qualitätswein?
Spätlese Auslese Beerenauslese Eiswein Strohwein/Schilfwein Ausbruch Prädikatswein Trockenbeerenauslese
What is the minimum alcohol content for wines labeled by prädikat?
5%
Is the practice of chapitilization or the addition of Süssreserve allowed in Kabinett level wines in Austria?
No
How is Kabinett defined in the prädikat system in Austria?
Kabinett wines are considered a subset of Qualitätswein rather than a beginning rung on the ladder of Prädikatswein.
What is Strohwein?
A dried grape wine of at least Beerenauslese ripeness.
What is Ausbruch?
For Trockenbeerenauslesen produced in the Free City of Rust, the term Ausbruch may be used; use of the term Ausbruch may only be used in connection with the geographical indication ‘Rust’.
Where are most of Austria’s lusciously sweet wines produced?
Around the lake of Neusiedlersee in Burgenland.
How many DACs are in Austria?
17
What are the DACs of Austria and when were they established?
Weinviertel (2002) Mittelburgenland (2005) Traisental (2006) Kremstal (2007) Kamptal (2008) Leithaberg (2009) Eisenberg (2010) Neusiedlersee (2012) Wiener Gemischter Satz (2013) Rosalia (2018) Vulkanland Steiermark (2018) Südsteiermark (2018) Weststeiermark (2018) Carnuntum (2019) Wachau (2020) Ruster Ausbruch (2020) Wagram (2022)
When did Austrian Sekt with a Protected Designation of Origin become a legal category?
2016
What are the three categories of Austrian Sekt with a Protected Designation of Origin?
Klassik
Reserve
Grosse Reserve
What are the requirements of Klassik Sekt?
- The wine must come from one of Austria’s federal states
- The wine must spend 9 months on the lees
- Tank, transfer, and traditional methods are all allowed
- All dosage levels/styles and colors may be produced
What are the requirements for
Reserve Sekt?
- Traditional method is required
- Wines must spend 18 months on the lees
- A vintage must be listed
- Must be Brut Nature/Extra Brut/Brut
What are the requirements for Grosse Reserve?
- Wines must come from a single village
- Hand Harvesting is required
- Vineyard names and vintages are allowed on the label
- Must spend 30 months on the lees
- May not be released until 3 years after harvest
- Must be Brut Nature/Extra Brut/Brut
What does Hauersekt refer to?
- Corresponds to the German Winzersekt
- Indicates that the wine is made by the grape grower
- Equivalent of Récoltant Manipulant
- Must list the village/vineyard, grape variety, and vintage
How does one differentiate between Austrian Sekt with a Protected Designation of Origin and regular Austrian Sekt?
Bottles must carry the official seal on the capsule with the words Geschützter Ursprung, geprüfte Qualität, meaning “protected designation of origin and certified quality.
What does Geschützter Ursprung, geprüfte Qualität refer to?
Austrian sekt of Protected Designation of Origin
-translates to protected designation of origin and certified quality
What is the largest wine growing region in Austria?
Niederösterreich
What the is the second largest growing region in Austria?
Burgenland
What is the Pannonian Plain? What does this do for the climate of Austria?
A former seabed of loess soils stretching from eastern Austria through Hungary and many countries of the former eastern bloc.
-Ushers in a continental climate with hot summers and harsh winters
What is the main river of Austria?
Danube River
What are the subzones of Niederösterreich?
Weinviertel Wachau Kremstal Kamptal Traisental Wagram Carnuntum Thermenregion.
What two subzones of Austria do not lie along the Danube or its tributaries?
Weinviertel
Thermenregion
What was Austria’s first DAC?
Weinviertel (2002)
What is the largest subzone of Niederösterreich?
Weinviertel
This subzone of Niederösterreich is located in the hills north of the Danube and the Pannonian Plain.
Weinviertel
What is the climate of Weinviertel.
It is a cooler climate compared to the rest of Niederösterreich.
What is the style of wine of Weinviertel?
Lighter and fresher
DAC wines of Weinviertel must be produced from what grape?
Grüner Veltliner
What is the minimum alcohol of wines from Weinviertel?
12%
What are the specifications of DAC Weinviertel?
- Must come from Grüner Veltliner
- Min 12% alcohol
- Tasting panel
- No obvious wood or botrytis notes
- Must show a distinct peppery characteristic
When did Reserve Weinviertel debut and how is different than Klassik Weinviertel?
2009
- Minimum 13% alcohol
- Fuller bodies
- May show notes of wood and botrytis
What are the specifications of Klassik Traisental, Kamptal, and Kremstal?
- Grüner Veltliner and Riesling
- Minimum 12% alcohol
- No obvious wood or botrytis
What are the specifications of Reserve Traisental, Kamptal and Kremstal?
- Grüner Veltliner and Riesling
- Minimum 13% alcohol
- May show notes of wood or botrytis
- Grüner Veltliner must show a more delicate spice than the pungent spice of Weinviertel
Where are Kremstal and Kamptal located?
In western Niederösterreich, along the Krems and Kamp Rivers, tributaries of the Danube.