Austria

Question 1

What is the climate in Austria? Vineyards are found in the east, away from the Alps.

Answer 1

Cool Continental

Question 2

What are summers and winters like in Austria?

Answer 2

Summers are short

Winters are long and harsh

Question 3

What kind of winds affect the Northerly wine regions?

Answer 3

Cool Northerly winds

Question 4

What kind of winds affect the more Southerly vineyards?

Answer 4

Warm easterly winds

Question 5

What is the most widely planted grape variety?

Answer 5

Gruner Veltliner

Question 6

When might wines made from Gruner Veltliner be unexciting?

Answer 6

When yields are too high

Question 7

What are characteristics of best, young Gruner? (body, acid, clusters, distinct flavour)
What notes develop with age? (2)

Answer 7

Full-bodied
High-acid
Citrus and Stonefruit
White pepper

Honey and Toast with age

Question 8

A majority of producers ferment and age in stainless and old oak casks are also commonly used. Still, what might some producers mature Gruner Veltliner in?

Answer 8

New oak barriques

Question 9

What is the second most planted white variety in Austria?

Answer 9

Welschriesling

Question 10

Welschriesling tends to be fresh, simple, with high acidity displaying flavours of? (cluster, fruit)

Answer 10

Citrus, green apple

Question 11

What feature of Welschriesling makes it a candidate for making high-quality dessert wines?

Answer 11

Thin-skins = botrytis

Question 12

The best examples of what, less widely planted grape come from Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal?

Answer 12

Rielsing

Question 13

Which white grape has a growing reputation in Austria?

Answer 13

Sauvignon Blanc

Question 14

What is the most widely planted black variety in Austria?

Answer 14

Zweigelt (Blaufrankisch x St Laurent)

Question 15

Which black grape is most highly regarded in Austria?

Answer 15

Blaufrankisch

Question 16

What Austrian specialty grape is similar to Pinot Noir in character?

Answer 16

St Laurent

Question 17

Which Austrian black grape variety tends to have high acidity with medium tannins and a peppery, sour cherry flavour?

Answer 17

Blaufrankisch

Question 18

Which three international black grape varieties are grown and mainly blended with Austrian varieties?

Answer 18

Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

Question 19

What are PGI wines labelled as? What are wines without a geographical identification labelled as?

Answer 19

Landwein

Wein (similar to Germany but Germany uses Deutscher wine)

Question 20

PDO wines can be from either a generic or specified region. What two labelling terms identify a PDO wine?

Answer 20

Qualitatswein

Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC)

Question 21

Qualitatswein labelling can be broken down further. Austria shares the Pradikatswein system, what is it called here?

Answer 21

Pradikat

Question 22

Ausbruch and Schilfwein/Strohwein are two additional ‘Pradikate’. Where does Ausbruch fit in? What is Schilfwein/Strohwein?

Answer 22

Between BA and TBA

Schilfwein is where bunches of grapes are laid out on reeds or straw during winter to concentrate sugars

Question 23

How many different grape varieties are permitted in Austrian PDO wines?

Answer 23

40

Question 24

How many smaller wine regions have elected to become Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC)?

Answer 24

15

Question 25

Where a DAC already exists for one style of wine, can you label a different style of wine as a Pradikatwein from that same specific region? What must the non-DAC wine be labelled as?

Answer 25

No | Pradikatswein from the larger, generic region

Question 26

What must producers from a region agree on before applying for DAC qualification?

Answer 26

Grape variety/varieties | A style of wines/set of regulations

Question 27

Wines made in a DAC region that do not conform to the decided grape varieties and/or regulations must not be labelled as being from that region. How may they be labelled?

Answer 27

Qualitatswein/Pradikat can be labelled from one of the bigger generic regions Wein or Landwein too

Question 28

The four larger generic, federal state DACs are: | Niederosterreich, Burgenland, Steiermark and Wien. Which two boast the vast majority of production?

Answer 28

Niederosterreich (lower Austria) | Burgenland

Question 29

Which subregion of Niederosterreich is the most reknown for high quality dry wines made from either Gruner Veltliner or Riesling?

Answer 29

Wachau

Question 30

In Wachau, vineyards are often terraced and south-facing, what else helps maximise exposure to sunlight?

Answer 30

Proximity to the Danube

Question 31

Wachau became a Districtus Austriae Controllatus in what year?

Answer 31

2020

Question 32

Kremstal DAC and Kamptal DAC sit just to the north of which new DAC and produce wines from which similar grapes?

Answer 32

Wachau | Riesling and Gruner Veltliner

Question 33

Which area was the first Austrian DAC and largest wine-growing area?

Answer 33

Weinviertal DAC

Question 34

What single grape is permitted under Weinviertal DAC restrictions?

Answer 34

Gruner Veltliner

Question 35

There are two sub classifications in Weinviertal DAC; one is for light, fresh, fruity wines with no discernible oak, the other has a higher minimum ABV and can be oak-matured.

Answer 35

Klassik | Reserve

Question 36

What two kinds of top-quality wines is Burgenland known for?

Answer 36

Red and sweet

Question 37

Neusiedlersee is a vast shallow lake in Burgenland. This late, in combination with the wetland regions on it's margins are responsible for autumn mist that aid in the botrytisation of which grape primarily?

Answer 37

Welshriesling (thin skins)

Question 38

The best red wines in Austria come from the vineyards on higher ground away from Neusiedlersee lake and in the hills further south. What black grape is most planted here?

Answer 38

Zweigelt

Question 39

What two Austrian grapes, aside from Zweigelt, are planted in Burgenland? How many DACs for each of these three grapes (inc. Zweigelt)

Answer 39

Blaufrankisch (4 DACs) St Laurent (0) Zweigelt (2)

Question 40

The largest DAC for Blaufrankisch is Mittelburgenland

Answer 40

Tru dat