A quick look about Austria Wine – Part 1

AUSTRIA! Hi everybody. Today we are gonna talk about Austria! Austria is a beautiful country famous for the:
Art, music, philosophy, literature, sacker tort and much others, but in the recent years also for wines of excellence.

 

 

 

The information given are very basics.  But it can be a way to refresh my and Your memory and even an occasion to go in a second moment more in deepth about this beautiful wine nation.

Let’s have a short loook an a map:

As you can see only a small part of the nation is devoted to wine, this is due to some climatic reasons all together:
1) cool air from the north
2) warm Pannonian climate from the west
3) temperate Mediterranean climate from the south

The Niederösterreich, literally menas “lower austria”, it is the largest quality wine region with 27,128 ha.

Niederösterreich, stretches from the Wachau in the west to Carnuntum in the east.

From the 2002 vintage until the present day, 9 designated DAC (wine-growing regions) have been legally defined by the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture.
5 of them are in Niederösterreich:

1.   Weinviertel DAC (13,356 ha) only Grüner Veltliner
2.   Kamptal DAC (3,802 ha) GrünerVeltliner, Riesling
3.   Kremstal DAC (2,243 ha) GrünerVeltliner, Riesling
4.   Traisental DAC (790 ha) GrünerVeltliner, Riesling
5.   Wiener Gemischter Satz since 2013

4 of them in Burgenland

1.     Neusiedlersee DAC (7,649 ha) Zweigelt
2.     Leithaberg DAC (3,576 ha)   whites: Pinot Blanc/Weißburgunder, Chardonnay, Neuburger, Grüner Veltliner or a blend of these varieties.
   reds Blaufränkisch (min. 85% Blaufränkisch, max. 15% St. Laurent, Zweigelt or Pinot Noir)
3.     Mittelburgenland DAC (2,117 ha) Blaufränkisch
4.     Eisenberg DAC (498 ha) Blaufränkisch

Together to the 5 DAC, there are 4 other important appellations:

North of Wien:

Wagram 2,451 ha-  Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Roter Veltliner
Wachau 1,350 ha –  Grüner Veltliner, Riesling

South of Wien:

Carnuntum 910ha – Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch
Thermenregion 2,196 ha – Zierfandler, Rotgipfler, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir

We will go more in the details in the next posts about single wine region.

Ok fair enough there are the regions but what about the grapes:

 

WHITE GRAPE VARIETIES (22x)

There are 22 white wine grape varieties classified for the production of quality wine in Austria. This also includes many indigenous varieties, such as Grüner Veltliner, Zierfandler and Rotgipfler, that are virtually only found in Austria.. There is also a long list of classic varieties as well as internationally successful and well known varietals, such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and the white Pinot varieties. Approximately two-thirds of Austrian vineyard area is planted with white wine varieties. For the production of wine without protected designation of origin or geographical indication with grape variety- or vintage-designation, the following red wine varieties are permitted for planting: Regent, Cabernet Jura.

RED GRAPE VARIETIES (13x)

There are 13 red wine grape varieties classified for the production of quality wine in Austria, and approximately one-third of Austrian vineyard area is planted with red wine varieties. By far the most successful red wine variety is the Blauer Zweigelt, an Austrian crossing, of which there are many planted in regional vineyards. Other indigenous varieties include Blaufränkischand St. Laurent, which have already received international acclaim. International varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, are popular wines for blending with native Austrian red wine varieties.
UNESCO SITES:
Salzburg, Graz, Wien, Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

Let’s not forget the Danube…10% of the river pass through Austria. The European Union’s longest and the continent’s second longest (after the Volga).

It originates in the town of Donaueschingen–which is in the Black Forest of Germany–at the confluence of the rivers Brigach and Breg. The Danube then flows southeast for 2,872 km (1,785 mi), passing through four Central European capitals before emptying into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine.

For the moment that’s all and I close this post with the Danube Blue by Johann Strauss, great Austrian composer

Domaine Gauby, Roussillon. Amazing visit and tasting at the domaine

 

The person that you would not meet while doing a blind tasting :)

 

The Frog Race.

That’s the plan!

Indeed! Especially in a rainy and windy night!