Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
's most established and notable wine regions, specializing in
dry wines
The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, wh ...
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
along the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
, west of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and Krems an der Donau, it is one of the westernmost wine producing regions in Austria with only a few scattered plantings in
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
being further west. While most of Austria follows a
wine classification
The classification of wine is based on various criteria including place of origin or appellation, vinification method and style, sweetness and vintage,J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 752 & 753 Oxford University ...
systems based on
ripeness
In United States law, ripeness refers to the readiness of a case for litigation; "a claim is not ripe for adjudication if it rests upon contingent future events that may not occur as anticipated, or indeed may not occur at all." For example, if a ...
and
harvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
must weight that parallels the German wine classification system, Wachau wines have a unique classification system. The three classification levels for Wachau wine include ''Steinfeder'' for wines up to 11.5% alcohol level, ''Federspiel'' for wines between 11.5–12.5% and ''Smaragd'' that must have a minimum of 12.5% alcohol level.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 49–54 Oxford University Press 2006 Despite its renown, the Wachau is a small wine region that usually accounts for only around 3% of Austria's wine production.H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 244–245 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005
History
Archeological evidence suggests that
viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
may have been introduced to the lands around the Danube by the
Celtic tribes
This is a list of Celtic tribes, organized in order of the likely ethnolinguistic kinship of the peoples and tribes.
In Classical antiquity, Celts were a large number and a significant part of the population in many regions of Western Europe, ...
Noricum
Noricum () is the Latin name for the Celts, Celtic kingdom or federation of tribes that included most of modern Austria and part of Slovenia. In the first century AD, it became a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire. Its borders were th ...
federation, prior to the Roman influence that came into the area following conquest around the 1st century BCE. Viticulture continued to flourish under Roman rule, with the introduction of Roman technology and knowledge, even though grape growing was technically banned in Roman territories north of the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
. In the 3rd century, Emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus officially overturned the ban and is reported to have ordered the introduction of several
grape varieties
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
to be brought into the territories. It has been speculated that both Grüner Veltliner and
Welschriesling
Welschriesling is a white wine grape variety, unrelated to the Rhine Riesling, that is grown throughout Central Europe. Origin
The descendance of Welschriesling is uncertain. The German name ''Welschriesling'' literally means ' Romanic Riesling' ...
may have been introduced to the region during the Roman period.Blom, Philipp (2000) ''The Wines of Austria'' Faber & Faber
The first written account to specifically mention wine production in the Wachau region was the writings of
Eugippus
Eugippius (circa 460 – circa 535, Castellum Lucullanum) was a disciple and the biographer of Saint Severinus of Noricum.
After the latter's death in 482, he took the remains to Naples and founded a monastery on the site of a 1st-century Roman ...
in his biography of St. Severin, where the 5th-century Roman wine production at the Roman fort near the town of Mautern in the Wachau.A. Domine (ed.) ''Wine'', pp. 536–543 Ullmann Publishing, 2008 Monika Caha Selections ' About the Vinea Wachau '' pg 4, Accessed: December 12th, 2010 After the
fall of the Roman Empire
The fall of the Western Roman Empire (also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome) was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vas ...
the Wachau region, along with most of Lower Austria down across the Pannonian Plain, was ravaged by repeated waves of
barbarian invasions
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
that took a toll on all forms of agriculture and trade. Wachau's wine industry entered a dark age from which it did not emerge until the time of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
in the late 8th and early 9th century. Under the rule of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
, the monastic influences of the Christian church continued to promote and sustain viticulture in the area. Much as the monasteries mapped out and planted plots along choice lands in the
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
and Mosel wine regions, the monks in the Wachau identified vineyard sites along the northern banks of the Danube that would be ideal for viticulture. Many vineyards that exist today in the Wachau can trace their origins to monastic plantings in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
period.
From the 14th–16th century, viticulture in the Wachau hits its peak along with the rest of Lower Austria with plantings an estimated 10 times greater across the land than what exist today. This period saw a lack of profitability due to overproduction and competition from neighboring
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and Hungary. As prices and influence in the important Vienna market were being affected, Wachau producers banded with neighboring Austrian producers to demand protectionist tariffs and eventually an outright ban on any "foreign" wine being imported into Lower Austria. These measures helped stabilize the Wachau wine industry to some degree until the
Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
of the early 19th century, followed by the
phylloxera epidemic
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste to the wine industry. It was caused by an aphid that originated in North America and was carried across the Atl ...
that would reach Austria later that century, would devastate the vineyards of Wachau. Slowly the wine industry would recover and during the 20th century, the Wachau would gain a global reputation for the quality of its dry Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. Then the
1985 diethylene glycol wine scandal The 1985 diethylene glycol wine scandal () was an incident in which several Austrian wineries illegally adulterated their wines using the toxic substance diethylene glycol (a minor ingredient in some brands of antifreeze) to make the wines appear sw ...
, caused by producers outside the Wachau, gained international attention and caused a dramatic drop in sales for Austrian wines across the board.
The Wachau, along with the rest of the Austrian wine industry, responded to the scandal with the development of strict
wine laws Wine laws are legislation regulating various aspects of production and sales of wine. The purpose of wine laws includes combating wine fraud, by means of regulated protected designations of origin, labelling practices and classification of wine, a ...
and quality assurances. Producers in the Wachau already had a head start on this movement with the development a couple years earlier of the Vinea Wachau in 1983, a collaborative association that aimed to distinguish Wachau wine from other Austrian wines. In addition to holding its members to a guaranteed minimum quality level above the requirements of Austrian wine laws, the Vinea Wachau also established its own classification and wine labeling system that is still being used for Wachau wines today.
Climate and geography
The boundaries of the Wachau has traditionally been the valley of the Danube between the village of Melk and Krems. Along with the
Kremstal Kremstal is an Austrian wine region. Downstream of the Wachau
The Wachau () is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway be ...
and
Kamptal Kamptal is an Austrian wine, tourismus, culture and health region located in Waldviertel, Lower Austria. It is named by the river Kamp.
To the north of Krems lies Langenlois, which is the main vine-town of Kamptal, the valley of the river Kamp.< ...
, the Wachau is one of the coolest wine regions in Austria. The climate of Wachau is influenced by the confluence of several weather systems including cool, moist air from the Waldviertel forests of the northwest with warmer air coming from the east off the Pannonian Plain. This creates a
continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
with marked diurnal temperature variations that include a dramatic drop in nighttime temperatures. Along with the moderating influence of the Danube river, the Wachau has a
macroclimate
In viticulture, there are several levels of regional climates that are used to describe the ''terroir'' or immutable characteristics of an area. These levels can be as broad as a macroclimate which includes entire wine regions or as small as a mic ...
which includes constant air and heat circulation, allowing for sugars and
phenolic compounds
In organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of one or more hydroxyl groups (— O H) bonded directly to an aromatic hydrocarbon group. The simplest is phenol, . Phenolic compounds are c ...
to build up during the day but acids and aromas to be preserved by the cooler nights. This creates white wines that tend to be high in
extract
An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures, absolutes or in powder form.
The aromatic principles of many spices, nuts, h ...
and acidity.
Irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
is often necessary during the peak months of the
growing season
A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whil ...
when yearly rain totals fall below .
The
vineyard soils
The soil composition of vineyards is one of the most important viticultural considerations when planting grape vines. The soil supports the root structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount of minerals and nutrients that the ...
of the Wachau are varied but consist primarily of rock outcrops with occasional layers of
loess
Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits.
Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...
. The geography of the region is characterized by steep, rocky river banks (as steep as those found in the Mosel and Côte-Rôtie) that have had vineyards
terrace
Terrace may refer to:
Landforms and construction
* Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river
* Terrace, a street suffix
* Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...
d into the hillsides. Higher up on the hills, the soils are rich in
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
deposits and contain mixtures of
gneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
,
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
and
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
. Closer to the river and in the flatter plains areas that dot the region, the soil is more
alluvial
Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
with loess,
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
and
gravel
Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone.
Gravel is classifi ...
. The heart of the Wachau district is the ''Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus'' which includes a strip of vineyard land that stretches from the western extremity of Schwallenbach along the Danube through Spitz, Weissenkirchen, Dürnstein, Loiben and finally to Mautern. There are over 900 named
vineyard sites
A vineyard designated wine is a wine produced from the product of a single vineyard with that vineyard's name appearing on the wine label.
Throughout the history of winemaking and viticulture, the differences in quality between one plot of land ...
in Wachau (known as ''Rieden''). Among the sites that may appear on Wachau wine labels those of the ''Loibenberg, Kellerberg, Achleiten, Klaus'' and 'Singerriedel'' are the most noted.
Grape varieties and wine styles
There are over of vineyards in the Wachau with Grüner Veltliner being the most widely planted. The area is also well known for its Riesling that carry distinctive trademarks of their '' terroir'' in aroma and flavor profile. Other varieties grown in the Wachau include
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
(sometimes called ''Feinburgunder''),
Neuburger
Neuburger is a white Austrian wine grape. The grape is a crossing of Roter Veltliner and Sylvaner. As varietal, it generally produces full bodied wines. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 117 Abbeville Press 2003
...
,
Gelber Muskateller
Gelber is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Alexis Gelber, Goldsmith Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
*Arthur Gelber, CC (1915–1998), Canadian philanthropist
*Bruno Leonardo Gelber (born 1941), Argentine clas ...
Sauvignon blanc
is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...
. Riesling is often planted on the most ideal vineyard location along the steep gneiss hillsides near the river while Grüner Veltliners seems to thrive on the loess and sand of the lower banks. The wines are rarely, if ever, exposed to new
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
or malolactic fermentation and are typically produced in a fuller bodied, higher extract style that is more similar to the wines of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
than of their German counterparts.
Wine classification and labeling laws
Unlike most Austrian wines which follow a classification system similar to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
(which includes wines labeled based on must weight at harvest such as Spätlese, Auslese, etc.), the Wachau has its own classification system for quality wine. In favorable vintages, producers may experience
botrytis Botrytis may refer to:
* ''Botrytis'' (fungus), the anamorphs of fungi of the genus ''Botryotinia''
**''Botrytis cinerea'', a mold important in wine making
*Botrytis, the cauliflower cultivar group of ''Brassica oleracea
''Brassica oleracea'' is ...
and can produce
botrytized wines
Noble rot (french: pourriture noble; german: Edelfäule; it, Muffa nobile; hu, Aszúsodás) is the beneficial form of a grey fungus, ''Botrytis cinerea'', affecting wine grapes. Infestation by ''Botrytis'' requires moist conditions. If the we ...
that carry the same classification as their counterparts in other Austrian wine regions—namely Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.
The Wachau designations include:
;Steinfeder: The lightest wines which may be
spritzig
The glossary of wine terms lists the definitions of many general terms used within the wine industry. For terms specific to viticulture, winemaking, grape varieties, and wine tasting, see the topic specific list in the "''See also''" section below. ...
or lightly sparkling. Literally "stone feather". Under the Austrian
Klosterneuburger Mostwaage
Must weight is a measure of the amount of sugar in grape juice ( must) and, hence, indicates the amount of alcohol that could be produced if it is all fermented to alcohol, rather than left as residual sugar.chaptalization during production and finish with an alcohol level no greater than 11.5%. The symbol for this class is the '' stipa pennata'' or feather grass that is commonly found planted on Wachau hillsides.
;Federspiel: Made from riper grapes harvested at least 17°KMW and producing wines with an alcohol level between 11.5–12.5%. Literally "feather game", also a surname (see
Federspiel Federspiel is a Germanic surname that literally means "feather play". The name originates in Switzerland. Notable people with the surname include:
*Ben Federspiel (born 1981), Luxembourgian footballer
*Birgitte Federspiel (1925–2005), Danish actr ...
). Like the other classification, the wines can not be
chaptalize
Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation. The technique is named after its developer, the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal. This process is not in ...
d. The maximum
residual sugar
The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, whil ...
for these wines is 4 g/L. The symbol for this classification is a
falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
which pays homage to the historical pastime of
falconry
Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...
in the Wachau.
;Smaragd: The ripest wines that must contain at least 12.5% APV. Literally "emerald" (see '' Smaragd''). The maximum residual sugar level for these wines is 9 g/L. This designation was first used in 1986, right after the diethylene glycol scandal and was intended to denote the highest quality level of Wachau wines. All grapes destined for this designation must attain at least 18.5°KMW and all finished wine must be sealed with a long
natural cork
Cork is an Permeability (earth sciences), impermeable buoyancy, buoyant material, the Cork cambium, phellem layer of bark (botany), bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from ''Quercus suber'' (the cork oak), which is nativ ...
that is at least 49mm long and branded with vintage year. From 2007,
screwcap A screw cap or closure is a common type of closure for bottles, jars, and tubes.
Usage
A screw closure is a mechanical device which is screwed on and off of a "finish" on a container. Either continuous threads or lugs are used. It must be engi ...
s are also allowed. The wines have to be aged in bottle and not released till after May 1 following harvest though some producers will age their inventory longer. Smaragd wines tend to be the most sought after and critically acclaimed Wachau wines with well made examples from favorable
vintages
Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...
having the
potential to age
The aging of wine is potentially able to improve the quality of wine. This distinguishes wine from most other consumable goods. While wine is perishable and capable of deteriorating, complex chemical reactions involving a wine's sugars, acids an ...
for more than 20 years. The symbol for this class is an emerald lizard that can found sunning itself on the stone terraces along the Danube.Vinea Wachau ' Smaragd '' Accessed: December 13th, 2010
Like other Austrian wines, wines from the Wachau are usually labeled by varietal with the grape variety listed needing to constitute at least 85% of the grape variety. Similarly, at least 85% of the grapes from a given harvest must come from the a vintage year on the label.
Vinea Wachau
The Vinea Wachau is an organization of Wachau producers who united in 1983 to create a
trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...
that will not only promote Wachau wines worldwide but also protect the image and integrity of the Wachau wine region. Using the historical seal of Leuthold I von Kuenring (1243–1313), a local Ministerialengeschlecht or knight of the powerful Kuenringer family, the organization outlined the ''Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus'' or "heart of Wachau" which included the wine villages where traditionally the best Wachau wine was produced. Today the organization includes more than 200 members, who collectively own more than 85% of the vineyard land in the Wachau.
Members of the Vinea Wachau not only must follow Austria's strict wine laws but also abide by the association's own standards. The wines designated as Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd cannot be chaptalized or back-sweetened with
süssreserve
The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, wh ...
. All wine submitted by members are tasted by a panel for quality assurances with samples of every wine, from every vintage stored at a facility at Spitz so it is available for comparison should any quality control issues emerge.