The land

Austria’s wine country covers the eastern third of the country, sheltered from Atlantic weather by the Alps. The major zones are Niederösterreich (Lower Austria — the largest, with the famous Wachau, Kamptal, and Kremstal sub-regions), Burgenland (the warmer, lake-influenced zone on the Hungarian border), Steiermark (the southern hills, more Sauvignon Blanc-focused), and Vienna (the only major capital with its own wine appellation).

Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal

The three great Grüner Veltliner and Riesling appellations of Niederösterreich. Wachau is the famous one — steep terraced slopes along the Danube, on a mix of gneiss, mica-schist, and loess. The local quality classifications (Steinfeder for the lightest, Federspiel for the middle, Smaragd for the ripest and most age-worthy) are unique to Wachau. Kamptal and Kremstal sit just east of Wachau and follow the more standard Austrian DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) system. The wines are some of the most precise and age-worthy whites in Europe.

Burgenland

Burgenland is Austria’s most diverse wine region. The Neusiedlersee (a large shallow lake on the Hungarian border) creates a unique microclimate of warm summers and autumn fogs that favor botrytis. The lake’s western shore produces serious sweet wines (Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein). The southern Burgenland and Mittelburgenland produce serious red wine — Blaufränkisch (see /encyclopedia/grapes-encyclopedia/blaufrankisch-encyclopedia/) from Leithaberg DAC and Eisenberg DAC, with Saint-Laurent and Zweigelt rounding out the lineup.

The DAC system

Austria’s DAC system, modeled loosely on the French AOC and Italian DOC, classifies wines by typicity — only wines that meet the regional style requirements can carry the DAC name. There are DACs for Grüner Veltliner-Riesling combinations (Wachau is technically not a DAC, though the others in Niederösterreich are), for Blaufränkisch (Leithaberg, Eisenberg, Mittelburgenland), and various other regional categories.

Vintages to know

For dry whites: 2022 outstanding, 2019 exceptional, 2018 generous, 2015 superb. For Blaufränkisch: 2019 outstanding, 2017 exceptional. For sweet wines: 2018 generous, 2015 legendary.

Producers we know

Wachau: Emmerich Knoll, Franz Hirtzberger, F.X. Pichler, Prager, Domäne Wachau. Kamptal: Schloss Gobelsburg, Bründlmayer, Loimer, Hiedler. Kremstal: Salomon-Undhof, Nigl, Sepp Moser. Burgenland: Heinrich, Pittnauer, Velich (Moric — the Blaufränkisch reference), Wachter-Wiesler, Uwe Schiefer, Kollwentz, Kracher (sweet wines).