Stories of the wine-growing countries · Austria

Austrian wines

Small and fine: Austrian wines are no ordinary wines, but a rare speciality.

Austria grows wine on more than 45,000 hectares, two thirds of it white varieties, above all Grüner Veltliner. After the glycol scandal of 1985, the country adopted one of the strictest wine laws in Europe; today Austrian wine once again enjoys an excellent reputation. Little is exported: Austrians prefer to drink their wine themselves.

Vineyard area: over 45,000 ha
Ratio: 2/3 white, 1/3 red varieties
Leading variety: Grüner Veltliner
Oldest finds: Grape pips, dated to 800 BC
Wine law: One of the strictest in Europe (since 1985)

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The history of wine in Austria

True or not: historians still claim that the Celts were already growing wine in Austria. This cannot be proven. However, the oldest grape pips, dated to 800 BC, were found in Lower Austria.

What is certain is that in 15 BC the Romans occupied most of Austria, and at the latest by then the country had become a wine land. Until the Middle Ages, however, only landed lords and the Church were allowed to grow wine; it was not until the 12th century that commoners could acquire their own vineyards.

When it became known in 1985 that some winemakers were adding the forbidden diethylene glycol, Austrian wine lost its good reputation. The scandal led to one of the strictest wine laws in Europe and has long since been forgotten: Austria has fully restored its reputation.

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Wine-growing today

Wine is grown on more than 45,000 hectares: two thirds white varieties, one third red. Only a small proportion is exported: Austrians prefer to drink their wine themselves.

Austria holds a prominent place in our range, with the biodynamic Weinberghof Fritsch in Wagram as well as the estates Salzl and Tschida on Lake Neusiedl.

03/Grape varieties