Austria

Question 1

What are Austria’s 4 main wine regions?

Answer 1

Niederosterreich
Wien (Vienna)
Burgenland
Styria

Question 2

What are the 3 most important subregions of Niederosterreich?

Answer 2

Wachau
Kamptal
Kremstal

Question 3

Austria’s easternmost wine growing areas borders what country?

Answer 3

Hungary

Question 4

Austria’s wine growing regions are in which half of the country? western or eastern?

Answer 4

Eastern half

Question 5

What is Austria’s largest wine growing regions?

Answer 5

Niederosterreich

Question 6

Why aren’t wine regions in the western half of Austria?

Answer 6

Because the Alps are too rugged and too high in elevation to support grape growing.

Question 7

What is the climate of Austria?

Answer 7

Continental

Question 8

What are the climate moderators for Austria’s wine growing regions?

Answer 8

The Danube River and it tributaries

Question 9

What is the landscape of Austria?

Answer 9

Rolling foothills, with most vineyards being planted on slopes facing the Danube.

Question 10

What are the white grapes of Austria?

Answer 10

Gruner Veltliner
Riesling

Question 11

What distinctive aroma can you find on most Gruner Veltliners?

Answer 11

white pepper

Question 12

What are the red grapes of Austria?

Answer 12

Blaufrankisch
St.Laurent
Zweigelt

Question 13

What are the parent grapes of Zweigelt?

Answer 13

Blaufrankish
St.-Laurent

Question 14

Wachau is home to many of Austria’s top vineyards. There top vineyards are planted on:
*flat riverbanks of the Danube
*steep slopes overlooking the Danube

Answer 14

Steep slopes overlooking the Danube

Question 15

Grapes destined for inexpensive wines are planted where?
*steep hills
*flatter plains

Answer 15

flatter plains

Question 16

Austrian wine styles are typically:
*bone dry or very sweet, nothing in between
*bone dry to very sweet, everything in between

Answer 16

Bone dry or very sweet, nothing in between. Off-dry styles of wine really do not exist in Austria.

Question 17

For the most part, white wines in Austria do or do not see new oak?

What about reds?

Answer 17

White wines generally do not see new oak.

Red wines from Burgenland will sometimes see new oak

Question 18

Austrian wines without geographic indications are called:

Answer 18

Wein

Question 19

Austrian wines with geographic indication have 4 classification levels:

Answer 19

Landwein (PGI)
Qualitatsweing (PDO)
Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC)
Pradikatswein (PDO)

Question 20

Is Austrian Landwein usually exported?

Answer 20

seldom exported. Landwein wines are Austrians’ everyday table wines.

Question 21

What is the DAC?

Answer 21

A subset of Qualitatswein that focuses on dry wines. It also only allows certain grapes,like Riesling and Gruner Veltliner to be classified as DAC.

Question 22

Austrian Pradikatswein focuses on what style of wine?

Answer 22

Sweet styles, such as Eiswein, BA and TBA

Question 23

What does Niederosterreich translate to in English?

Answer 23

Lower Austria

Question 24

What wine style does Niederosterreich focus on?

Answer 24

White wines made from Riesling and Gruner Veltliner that are dry and unoaked of high quality.

Question 25

What River, and Danube tributary, flows through Kremstal?

Answer 25

The Krems River

Question 26

What River, and Danube tributary, flows through Kamptal?

Answer 26

The Kamp River

Question 27

What River flows through Wachau?

Answer 27

The Danube River

Question 28

Which Niederosterriech sub-region is known for having most of the top producers and vineyards?

Answer 28

Wachau

Question 29

Wachau classifies its dry wines with its own classification system. What are the 3 classification levels?

Answer 29

Steinfeder (lightest) Federspiel Smaragd (richest)

Question 30

What is Steinfeder named after?

Answer 30

A grass that grows in Wachau's vineyards

Question 31

What is Steinfeder's maximum abv?

Answer 31

11.5% light body

Question 32

What is Federspiel's abv range?

Answer 32

11.5%-12.5% medium body

Question 33

What is Smaragd's minimum abv?

Answer 33

12.5% fullest body and richest texture; intense and dry

Question 34

What is Smaragd wine named after?

Answer 34

A brightly colored, emerald lizard found in Wachau's vineyards

Question 35

Smaragd wines can sometimes be affected by which rot?

Answer 35

Botrytis

Question 36

Grapes destined for Smaragd are harvested at _______ ripeness.

Answer 36

Spatlese ripeness