Austrian Wines: Easy to Recognize, Easy to Drink

It’s easy to spot a quality Austrian wine in the store. Just look for the red and white banderole on the capsule of the bottle! But what’s under the hood?

For those of us looking for exceptional food wines, with concentrated flavor and body while still maintaining a racy freshness, explore Austrian wine.  Easily recognizable by the red and white logo on the cap, these wines nonetheless fly a little under the radar when it comes to the normal wine consumer here in the United States.

To be able to use the red and white banderole, the wine must, at a minimum, meet the requirements of being produced from grapes grown in a single winegrowing region, from grapes with a minimum ripeness (similar to German ripeness specifications) from low yield (aka non-bulk) vines that are free of defects. There is also a Federal Inspection Number on the label, attesting that it has been approved for distribution by the government tasting authority.

So why look at Austria, then? Because Austria makes some of the raciest wines while still maintaining purity, power, and elegance. Mostly known as a dry white wine region (think Riesling and Grüner Veltliner), also look for some red wines made from blaufränkish or zweigelt and a special dessert wine.

Climate: Austria overall is considered a cool-climate wine region. However, there are 4 main climate zones, influenced by cool winds from the north, temperate temperatures from the Atlantic, warmth from the Mediterranean, and the warmth from the eastern bordering areas (Pannonian climate). Depending on where you are, the climate can be quite moderate.

Wine-growing regions: There are 5 major regions in Austria: Niederösterreich, Burgenland, Steiermark, Wien and Burgenland.

Niederösterreich is the largest and considered to be the most important, and encompasses such premier sub-regions such as Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal. It has also traditionally embraced the movement towards biodynamic viticulture, and many producers are certified organic and/or practice biodynamics and sustainable farming practices.

The most prestigious sub-region in Niederösterreich may be Wachau, which produces dry whites sought after for their purity, elegance, and razor-sharp energy. Look for Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. With long days and cool nights, this stretch along the Danube River gets cool winds from the north, and warm winds from the east from the Pannonian plain. Both are moderated by the Danube River itself, producing a microclimate especially suited to producing dry white wines.

As an interesting note, Wachau is the only place in Austria that categorizes its wines as steinfeder, federspiel or smaragd; terms created by a group of the top producers. Steinfeder is the name of a local variety of grass and is defined as by being unchaptalized (see below) with no more than 11.5% alcohol. Federspiel designates unchaptalized wines with between 11.5-12.5% alcohol, and is a term derived from falconry. Smaragd is named after a species of a bright green lizard that can often be found sunning itself in the vineyards. Smaragd is the ripest and richest of the three and must have a minimum of 12.5% alcohol.

Chaptalization is the process in which sugar is added to the grape juice/must prior to fermentation to increase the alcohol level in the final wine. This process does not cause any additional sweetness in a wine but is meant to give the yeast enough food to produce higher alcohol in the final wine. This process is allowed in some (check the local wine laws!) cooler climates where grapes may have trouble reaching full ripeness, thus having lower sugar content.

If you are looking for reds, look for wines from Burgenland. Influenced by the warm winds from the hot, Pannonian climate, this area can produce some opulent reds from blaufränkish, also known as lemberger in other regions. The best wines can be bold, dark, and full of raspberry, blueberry, cranberry and sour cherry, finished with white pepper and minerality. Other grapes of note are zweigelt, which typically produces juicy, red and dark-fruited, and uncomplicated wines, and sankt laurent (also known as saint laurent) which can produce complex, red-fruited wines with floral and spice notes.

Not to be overlooked, Burgenland can also produce some celebrated, sweet dessert wines called Ausbruch, (along with Beerenauslesen and Trocknbeerenauslesen). Produced around Lake Neusiedl (aka Neusiedlersee) which, due to its depth (only 2-6 ft deep!), produces prodigious amounts of humidity which makes the perfect microclimate for the formation of botrytis, aka Noble Rot.

Also of interest are Morillon (Chardonnay) from Styria (often called Stiermark) – rich, taut and linear. Harder to find is Styrian Sauvignon Blanc – racy, citrus, and tangy, and schilcher – a type of rosé made from the blauer wildbacher grape (a relative of blaufränkish).

If you happen to come across wines from Wien (Vienna), look for a traditional style wine called Gemischter Satz (or mixed planting). These are field blends, a combination of grapes that must be planted, picked, and pressed together – There must be a minimum of three different varieties, with no grape accounting for more than 50% of the blend, and the third grape must be at least 10%. Perhaps not one of the great wines of the world, but the potential for an intriguing and interesting wine is high.

Also of note, Vienna is the only major city in the world that is also a wine region of any commercial significance. There are approximately 1600 acres of protected vineyard land within the city limits.

Where to start exploring?

Look for the wines with the red and white banderole, you can’t go wrong. Also look for the some of the best producers – Bründlmayer, Rudi Pichler, Schloss Gobelsburg, Loimer, Prieler, Umathum, J. Heinrich (with the usual disclaimer that there are many other fine producers of Austrian wines).

You can also give some of these wines/producers a try:

Weingut Bründlmayer Terrassen Riesling: One of the best producers in Austria, they are based in the Kamptal, specializing in growing grüner veltliner and riesling. They are a founding member of the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter, a group based in Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental, Wagram, Wien and Carnuntum dedicated to expressing the terroir and grapes in their wines. Kamptal is situated between Krems and Wachau to the west, and Wien to the east, along the Kamp River.

Fermented in stainless steel and bottled quickly, this wine retains the freshness and fruitiness characteristic of the grapes and region. Pure and fresh, with a floral bouquet and citrus and mineral notes. Peach followed by spice and minerality on the palate with a crisp acidity. Elegant and summery in youth, has potential for gaining even more complexity with aging.   

Lackner Tinnacher “Gamlitz” Sauvignon Blanc: The history of this winery located in Südsteiermark (South Styria) begins in 1770, with vineyards located on steep hillsides in an almost Mediterranean-like climate. This is another producer practicing organic viticulture.

This medium bodied wine is fresh and fruity, with green apple, grass and lemony notes on the nose. Live acidity and a long finish with a touch of salinity.

Stadt Krems Grüner Veltliner: Founded in 1452, Stadt Krems is one of the oldest wineries in Austria. Located in the sub-region of Kremstal, sandwiched between the Wachau and Kamptal, the winery was originally founded as a source of revenue for the hospital of Krems, and is still owned by the municipality of Krems.

This Grüner Veltliner is designed to capture the typicity of the grape and the region. It was vinified in stainless steel and bottled after only a short time on the lees. This wine captures the classic Grüner citrus and mineral profile, along with the high acidity and notes of green apple, lemon, radish and green vegetable and herbs.

Forstreiter Sankt Laurant: The vineyard area of Forstreiter comprises 54 hectares in the Kremstal, along the Danube. Planted mainly with grüner veltliner, they also include zweigelt, saint laurent, riesling, gelber muskateller, sauvignon blanc. Grapes and wine are produced in a sustainable fashion with as little intervention as possible.

This wine has the typical bouquet of sour cherry, fleshy plum and black cherry. On the palate, there is dark berry, ripe tannins and subtle oak notes from 8-12 months aging in 50% new and 50% used oak barrels.

Leth Blauer Zweigelt: Leth is based in Wagram, another sub-region of Niederösterreich, along the Danube. Like other regions in Austria, Wagram is known for its Grüner Veltliner. But it’s also known for reds, especially Zweigelt and Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir in Austria). Leth primarily concentrates on its Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, but also plant and produce wines from a handful of other grapes, of which this Zweigelt is one. Zweigelt is perhaps Austria’s most planted red grape variety, with a cheerful fruity style for the majority of wines, ranging to more complex, full-bodied wines with the upper-level wines.

This Zweigelt is of the former style – approachable and happy, with lots of cherry fruit and elegant tannins.

Prieler Gemischter Satz: Prieler is one of the better producers of Grüner Veltliner in the region of Burgenland; indeed, in all of Austria. With 20 hectares of vineyards running from the Leitha Mountains (Leithagebirge in German) to the western side of Lake Neusiedl, they specialize in red wines from blaufränkish and pinot noir, as well as whites from chardonnay and pinot blanc. Following organic cultivation practices, this family-owned and run winery has won numerous “Vintner of the Year” awards in Austria.

This “field blend” white is made up of Gelber Muskateller, Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc and Welschriesling, fermented in a mix of stainless steel, large wooden cask and amphora. Look for intense notes of lime and green apple with some texture and spice along with floral notes.