Austrian wines – from quantity to quality

Wine in Austria is mainly represented by white dry brands, although there are red and dessert variations. White wines are made mainly from the Grüner Veltliner variety, reds from Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir and some autochthonous varieties, such as Zweigelt. The history of winemaking in this region goes back over 4000 years, but the reputation of Austrian wines was greatly damaged by the 1985 Antifreeze Scandal, when it was revealed that some producers mixed diethylene glycol into their wine to make drinks seem sweeter and more full-bodied.

History

Archaeological excavations show that winemaking originated in the Austrian lands 4000 years ago. In urns of the XNUMXth century BC. grape grains were found, and scientists also discovered Celtic flasks for wine of the XNUMXth century BC. Apparently, the varieties Welschriesling and Grüner Veltliner have been cultivated here since Roman times.

Numerous conquests led to the decline of winemaking in this area. Many vineyards were abandoned or destroyed. However, since 788, when Charlemagne came to power, things went smoothly. Wine production was encouraged by the church and state. In 1359 the first wine tax was introduced.

The heyday of Austrian winemaking came in the 1780th century, but already in the 1784th century the Thirty Years’ War and other conflicts crippled the growth. In XNUMX, numerous wine laws in force at that time were unified, and in XNUMX the first taverns specializing in the sale of homemade wine appeared.

The XNUMXth century was marked by many epidemics for Austrian wine, ranging from powdery mildew to the scourge of Europe – phylloxera. Oddly enough, this even benefited the local winemaking in some way – it became possible to plant new varieties, replace old vines with young ones. After the First World War, Austria was the third largest wine producer in the world. Quantity, however, was gained at the expense of quality.

By the 1980s, Austrian wine had gained a reputation as a rather mediocre, watery and sour drink, best suited for blending with higher-quality German counterparts. This is what gave impetus to the addition of diethylene glycol to the products, which led to the already mentioned “Antifreeze scandal”.

Diethylene glycol is very difficult to detect in testing. Perhaps the fraud would not have been revealed for a long time if one of the manufacturers had not indicated chemical additives in the application for tax compensation.

As a result, many countries refused to import Austrian brands of wine, and the country was forced to revise and tighten regulations. Today, Austria is more focused on quality than quantity. For quality control, the DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) appellation system was introduced in 2002.

Austrian wine varieties

White

• Grüner Veltliner – cultivated in 36% of vineyards, used to make dry white wines.
• Welschriesling is an ancient variety, it accounts for about 9%, it makes good dessert wines, but dry variations are unremarkable, they are recommended to be drunk young.
• Müller-Thurgau, artificially bred in 1882, grown in 7% of the vineyards, also produces a dry wine of mediocre quality.
• Neuburger is a rare variety (only 2.3%), the result of crossing Silvaner and Roter Veltliner grapes, it produces full-bodied wines.
• Muscat Ottonel, with less than a percent share of the local market, is also used to make dessert wines.
• Zierfandler is an indigenous variety, also known as Spätrot (late red) because the berries darken as they ripen. It produces elegant but sour wines.
• Frühroter Veltliner – related to Malvasia, produces dessert wines. It accounts for only 0.9% of the total grape harvest in Austria. Despite the red color of the skin, it belongs to the white varieties.
• Rotgipfler is another autochthonous variety that has no analogues in other countries. Gives aromatic wine, used in blends.
• Pinot gris is better known in Austria as Ruländer and Grauburgunder. Wines from it are full-bodied, tart.
• Pinot blanc – local name: Weißburgunder, also produces full-bodied wines.
• Sauvignon blanc – known as Muskat Sylvaner, these are wines with a distinct “herbal” bouquet.
• Riesling – unlike Germany, it is almost not common (only 3.4%), but it produces the highest quality and most expensive brands.

Red

• Zweigelt – also known as Zweigeltblau, is the region’s most abundant red variety (9%), making up half of Austria’s red wines. Artificially bred in 1922. Brands from Zweigelt are not of breathtaking quality, they are recommended to drink young.
• Blaufränkisch is an autochthonous grape that produces a tannic and “spicy” wine, which is recommended for aging in oak.
• Blauer Portugieser is another autochthonous variety, the wine made from it is light-bodied, fresh, tart, with a fruity aroma. It should also be drunk young.
• Saint Laurent is a very aromatic variety that allows you to produce truly high-quality drinks. The only disadvantage of the species is whimsicality, these berries are capricious, they are difficult to cultivate.

Classification of Austrian wines

The current Austrian wine classification was based on the German World War II model, but was modified in 1985. The unit of measurement here is KMW, Klosterneuberger Mostwaage, the sugar content in the berries at the time of harvest.

• Table wine (Tafelwein). >10.7°KMW, produced from berries from different vineyards and even different zones.
• Local wine (Landwein). >14°KMW, less than 11.5% ABV, less than 6 g/l residual sugar. Produced from the berries of only one region.
• Vintage wine (Qualitätswein). >15°KMW, stronger than 9%. It is made from the berries of a specific appellation.
• Cabinet wine (Kabinett). >17°KMW. A higher quality version of the previous category, chaptalization is prohibited during its production (adding sugar to the wort to increase the strength), the proportion of residual sugar is less than 9 g / liter, the strength is below 12.7%.
• “Defined” wine (Prädikatswein). This category includes a number of sub-categories, from selected wines to ice wines. All of them are of high quality, corresponding to the established standards.

1. Selected wine (Spätlese). >19°KMW. Released to the market no earlier than March 1.
2. Varietal wine (Auslese). >21°KMW, berries for the drink are carefully sorted, all low-quality, wrinkled or unripe berries are removed.
3. Sweet varietal wine (Beerenauslese). >25°KMW. For the drink, only selected berries affected by noble mold are used.
4. “Exploded” wine (Ausbruch). >27°KMW. It is made with the use of raisins infected with botrytis berries.
5. “Dried” wine (Trockenbeerenauslese). >30°KMW. It is made entirely from raisined grapes infected with noble mold.
6. Ice wine (Eiswein). >25°KMW. Berries are harvested after frost, the wine is particularly sweet.
7. Straw wine (Strohwein). >25°KMW. It is made from berries dried on straw mats.

Wachau classification (only applies to dry wines):

• Steinfeder (“stone feather”) is a mediocre wine for local consumption, no stronger than 11.5 degrees.
• Federspiel (the name of one of the attributes of falconry). Fortress from 11.5 to 12.5%, an approximate analogue of cabinet wine.
• Smaragd (“emerald”). Fortress from 12.5%, the content of residual sugar should not exceed 9 g / liter, this category includes the best dry wines of Austria.

Division into DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus, an approximate analogue of the French AOC system or the Italian DOCG):

1. Weinviertel DAC (sort of Grüner Veltliner).
2. Mittelburgenland DAC (sort of Blaufränkisch).
3. Traisental DAC (sorta Riesling and Grüner Veltliner).
4. Kremstal DAC (sorta Riesling and Grüner Veltliner).
5. Kamptal DAC (sorta Riesling and Grüner Veltliner).
6. Leithaberg DAC (sorta Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Neuburger and Blaufränkisch).
7. Eisenberg DAC (Blaufränkisch).
8. Neusiedlersee DAC (sort Zweigelt).
9. Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC (local wines must be made from at least three white varieties grown in the same vineyard and harvested at the same time).
10. Schilcherland DAC (sort Blauer Wildbacher).

Wine regions of Austria

Lower Austria:

• Wachau;
• Kremstal;
• Kamptal;
• Traisental;
• Wagram (former Donauland);
• Weinviertel;
• Carnuntum;
• Thermenregion.

Burgenland:

• Lake Neusiedl;
• Neusiedlersee hill country;
• Mittelburgenland;
• Südburgenland.

Vein.

Styria:

• Southeast Styria;
• Südsteiermark.