June 6, 2023

Main theme: Austria

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Viticulture in Austria dates back to before de Roman time. At archaeological excavations in het Austrian Burgenland ferment pots have been found from 700 BC. After Roman rule, de  becamewine culture further expanded by de church as it went in France en Germany. Austria had no international reputation. For a long time, the production was consumed entirely by the local population.

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Wine is often made in Austria from de Gruner Veltliner grape. Ausbruch is an Austrian wine type produced from several door noble rot affected grape varieties. A different special wine is Uhudler from Burgenland. Wine production in 2010 amounted to more than 3 million hectoliters, which is about 1% of world production. White wines represent 65% of this, but the share of red wines is increasing. There are 24,657 winegrowers active in Austria, 32,000 wine companies in total, mostly small-scale and for the local market.

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The vineyards are spread all over the country. The quality wine-growing areas are mainly in the east. The summers are sufficiently warm, the autumn days mild, but the nights cool. Precipitation averages 400 mm per year.

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There are four main areas: Niederöstenreich, 33,530 ha in size, Burgenland, 19,215 ha in size, Styria, 3,800 ha in size, Wien forms a separate region with 670 ha.

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De classification in Austria is somewhat similar to that in Germany. The higher it must weight, the higher the quality. This is related to the harvest dates.

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Grape varieties planted for white wines:Gruner Veltliner,Riesling,Welschriesling,Weissburgunder,Chardonnay,Muller-Thurgau.

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Grape varieties planted for red wine: Blauer Zweigelt,Blaufränkisch, Blauer Burgunder, Blauer Wildbacher, Carbernet Sauvignon en Franc, St.Laurent, Blue Portuguese.

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Sommelier Noël Vanwittenbergh will take you on a journey through Austria this evening, during which the tradition of Austrian glassware will also be discussed.