Austrian wine may not be as famous as wine from France, Italy, or California, but it has gained tremendously in profile and popularity recently --- for good reason. Since the mid-eighties Austrian wine laws have tightened up and wineries have changed their focus from quantity to quality and are now producing world class wines. Another reason Austrian wines are getting so much attention is because of their very individual character, owed not only to regional grape varieties not often found elsewhere, but also because of their unique terroir.

Most Austrian wineries are family owned and operated. With an average size of only 1.6 hectares, these small wineries often serve as a second source of income. Even full-time wine makers have an average of only 2.8 hectares of vineyards. This makes Austria a land of boutique wineries with wine makers focused on getting the most quality out of their grapes and terroir as they can.

THE FOUR WINE REGIONS
Austria is divided into 9 political provinces and since June of 1999 each of these
provinces belongs to one of Austria's four wine regions:

The wine region Bergland consists of only a few hectares of vineyards in the provinces Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg, Corinthia, and Upper Austria. These western alpine areas have hard, cold winters and short growing seasons. Most wines from this region come from passionate part-time vintners that succeed in making quite palatable wines in good years. The extremely small quantity produced here is consumed locally never making it to the international market. The wine region Wien is identical to the city of Vienna and is also the name of its only appellation. Vienna is the only capital in the world to have a wine region within city limits. The wine region Steiermark is divided into three appellations: Südsteiermark, Südoststeiermark, and Weststeiermark. Austria's largest wine region in terms of vineyard acreage is Weinland. Weinland consists of the provinces Burgenland and Lower Austria. The two large appellations, Burgenland and Niederösterreich are subdivided into smaller appellations. The appellations of Burgenland are Neusiedlersee, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Mittelburgenland, and Südburgenland. The appellations of Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) are Wachau, Kremstal, Kamptal, Traisental, Donauland, Weinviertel, Carnuntum and Thermenregion.

THE 16 WINE APPELLATIONS

Wachau
The 35 km gorge along the Danube river between the formidable Stift Melk and the outskirts of Krems is one of the most romantic vineyard landscapes in the world. The steep, terraced wine gardens, blooming apricot trees, and the Durnstein castle ruins can be admired from a ship excursion on the Danube in spring. The famous Smaragd Rieslings from this appellation can age up to 30 years and have their very own distinguished style, typically steely with more apricot and peach aromas than those from Alsace, drier and more powerful than their German counterparts. Other grape varieties here are Grüner Veltliner, Neuburger, Feinburgunder (Chardonnay), and Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc). The primary rock and slate soils together with the fjord-like climate give the wines a very special character, often with pleasant mineral notes and good acidic structure. Wachau has developed its own classifications: Steinfeder are the light, fresh wines to be drunk young, Federspiel are the medium bodied elegant wines, and Smaragd are the exquisite full bodied wines with tremendous aging potential.

Kremstal
The medieval character of the city of Krems has been beautifully reserved. The late gothic, renaissance and baroque architecture of the old town make a splendid back drop for wine tasting. The wines of this area have had to stand too long in the shadow of the more famous Wachau wines, but the excellent wineries in the area are now finally getting their share of the lime light. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are the varieties to look for from towns like Gedersdorf and Rohrendorf where they thrive on primary rock and loess soils. Chardonnay also produces good results in Kremstal and Roter Veltliner is a rare specialty.

Kamptal
Langenlois is the main city in this appellation and offers great opportunities for wine tasting. At the Ursin Haus on the main square, Kornplatz, you can taste and buy more than 200 wines from the area and get information on tours and tasting hours at the neighboring wineries. Along with primary rock, slate, and loess soils, there is also clay which may be the explanation for the success of red wine grapes along with the nearly legendary Cru Grüner Veltliners, Rieslings and Chardonnays from Kamptal.

Traisental
This small appellation's main grape is Grüner Veltliner, but Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) are also grown with some success. The soil varies from dry sandy types to gravel and clay.

Donauland
There is a new generation of wine makers setting high quality standards in Donauland. Look for Grüner Veltliner and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) with "Wagramer Selektion" on the label.

Weinviertel
This is Austria's largest appellation and produces nearly a third of all the country's wine. Grüner Veltliner is the primary grape grown in Weinviertel, while Welschriesling is also important and often used for the production of sparkling wines. Nearly all soil types are found here and that is reflected in the wide spectrum of grape varieties cultivated. Weinviertel has many interesting destinations for wine tourists, but perhaps the 700 year old city of Retz would be the best starting point. The entire city is built above Austria's largest wine cellar. This underground labyrinth goes down several stories deep and tours are given daily.

Carnuntum
The soil in Carnuntum seems to vary every half kilometer. Among the various regional and international grapes grown here Grüner Veltliner is the one primarily grown. Around the towns of Hainburg and Göttlesbrunn red wine grapes are gaining popularity. A specialty of the region is labeled "gemischter Satz" and comes from single vineyards planted with several different grape varieties. New consumer trends may help revive this old tradition.

Thermenregion
Specialties in this region are the autochthon grapes Neuburger, Zierfandler and Rotgipfler. The late harvest versions are well worth searching for and can often age quite well.

Neusiedlersee
There are excellent dry white wines made in this region from Welschriesling and Weissburgunder. Some of Austria's best reds come from a group of quality conscious wineries --- look for "Pannobile" on the label. The large, warm, shallow lake Neusiedler and an average of 2000 hours of sunshine per year guarantee an ideal climate for noble rot. As a result the most spectacular wines here are opulent, sweet, honey colored and packed with such exotic flavors that they can even champion those from Sauternes.

Neusiedlersee-Hügelland
This area is known for its wide variety of wines. You can find very good Cabernet, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from this appellation along with nearly all the Austrian autochthon grapes. "Ruster Ausbruch" is the famous noble sweet wine from this area.

Mittelburgenland
The deep loess and clay soils of this appellation are ideal for ist main grape, Blaufränkisch. The austere tannic red wines here have a lot of character and typically show an unmistakable Austrian style.

Südburgenland
The average winery in this appellation has only ¼ hectare of vineyard making it an appellation of eccentric part-time wine makers. Each winery seems to have its own specialty and a different style and different grapes than his neighbor. You can even find foxy-tasting wine here made from Uhudler grapes that grow on ungrafted vines.

Südsteiermark

Nearly everyone who visits this appellation gets the cozy feeling of coming home after a very long absence, perhaps because it looks like our childhood dream landscape of green rolling hills and patchwork vineyards. On each hill is a little house, often a bed & breakfast or Buschenschank (a simple eatery), with its own little winery. This appellation is predestined for Sauvignon Blanc, but Morillon (Chardonnay), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Ruländer (Pinot Gris) enjoy big success here as well. Typical for this appellation is the tart Welschriesling and a rare specialty is the bone dry, aromatic Muskateller.

Südoststeiermark
The wineries of this region are very small and many have their own Buschenschank where their wines are sold by the glass. As a result very little wine from this area ever makes it beyond the border. If you ever get a chance to try a dry late harvest Traminer from this area, you will remember it. The Gewürztraminer thrives on volcanic soil where it can fully develop its flowery aroma and full-bodied spice while the typical Styrian acidity keeps it from tasting like Grannies scented bath soap.

Weststeiermark
70% of the vineyards in this appellation are planted with the rare autochthon variety Blauer Wildbacher. These grapes are usually vinified to make an extremely acidic, grassy Rosé called Schilcher.

Wien
Vienna is the only capital in the world with a wine region within city limits. Much of the wine produced here never leaves the city and is consumed in Heuriger (wine taverns). Grüner Veltliner is the main grape variety.

GV = Grüner Veltliner, RR = Riesling, WR = Welschriesling, PB = Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder),
ZF =Zierfandler, RG = Rotgipfler, MT = Müller Thurgau, M = Gelber Muskateller, GW = Gewürztraminer,
SB = Sauvignon Blanc, CH = Chardonnay (Feinburgunder, Morillon), NB = Neuburger, ZW = Zweigelt,
BF = Blaufränkisch (Lemberger), BW = Blauer Wildbacher

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Vineyard Acerage Percentages of Austrian Appellations

Regional Vineyard Percentages in Austria