Austria Flashcards
What system is Austrian Wine Law based on?
A mix of Germanic tradition and the Romanic system in which the style of wine is linked to an origin, the DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) system.
More recently, the DAC system has seen an increase in recognition: currently only two appellations remain without DAC status.
What effect does the fact Austria is in the EU have on wine law?
PDO and PGI terms are also used:
• Wein: wine without GI
• landwein: with with PGI
• Qualitätswein: wine with PDO
What do Qualitätswein wines have to undergo?
A government inspection to ensure it meets minimum quality standards, and the government inspection number will be stated on the label.
What is the breakdown of production by quality levels?
Wein and Landwein make up 10%, with Qualitätswein making up the remainder.
What further labelling is possible, within Qualitätswein?
Wines may be labelled as:
• Klassik - wines with a vintage declared and showing varietal character
• Reserve - dry wines with a minimum 13% abv, typically harvested and released later than the standard wines.
What further designation is there, within Qualitätswein?
The higher category, Prädikatswein. Like German law, Prädikat levels are based on must weight at harvest.
Kabinett does not fall into the Prädikatswein system in Austria. Otherwise categories are the same as in Germany.
What is Ausbrach?
TBA wines from the city of Rust, situated on Lake Neusiedlersee.
What was a key amendment to Austrian Wine Law? When was it, and what did it introduce?
In 2002 an appellation system was introduced, the Districtus Austriae Controllatus, which is aimed to promote regional typicity.
Only these wines are permitted to display their origin, such as Weinviertal or Kamptal, on the label, whereas those that do not conform would only be able to state the larger Niederösterreich.
The first DAC was the Weinviertal in 2001, there are now 16 DAC Wine growing regions.
What are the requirements for using the geographical origin on the label? What are potential negatives of this?
Only specific varieties are permitted in each DAC to ensure regional typicity and profile are maintained.
Wines that do not meet the tasting panel criteria of what is deemed ‘typical’ for the region will be rejected.
At the same time, this may lead to a situation where new-wave wines may not be eligible for DAC status even if they are high quality.
What is the quality hierarchy within the DAC system?
There is the option to distinguish between regional (Gebietswein), village (Ortswein) and single vineyard wines (Riedenwein).
What is the ÖTW?
Österreichische Traditionsweingüter. An association that classifies quality and origin for Austrian wines.
Founded in 1992, a group of producers based in the Kamptal, Kremstal, Wagram and around Vienna, amongst other regions, who have been classifying their vineyards, in a similar sense to Burgundy, based on the soil type and climate.
In 2019, 81 vineyards were selected as Erste Lage, and dry wines from these vineyards can use a designated 1ÖTW logo on their labels, as long as the two most traditional grape varieties from the region are used.
Recently, the ÖTW has applied to have these classifications become enshrined in Austrian Wine Law, but a final decision has yet to be made.
What is the Vinea Wachau?
Another association that classifies quality and origin for Austrian wines. This is the name of a group of quality-minded producers based in Wachau that have classification systems for the wines of the region.
