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The Ultimate Austrian Wineguide 2023/24

The

The Leopoldsberg, Vienna‘s most famous hill, towering over the Danube and the Nussberg vineyards AUSTRIA’S GRAPE VARIETIES The small wine country of Austria has a very diversified assortment of grape varieties, with more than thirty different grape varieties currently permitted for the production of quality wines. D ue to the very long and eventful history of Austrian viticulture, the present list of grapes is a colourful mixture of old indigenous varieties, fairly recent cross-breedings, and classic international varieties, which make up only a small part of the totaal. This latter group includes mostly whites like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but black Bor deaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are included and have been permitted for Austrian qual ity wines since 1986. In 2001, the Syrah was added to this list. Only scant basic information is provided here about these worldwide-known varieties. Our focus shall be the typical Austrian specialties that are often little known over the country’s borders. Scientific ampelographic classification began in Austria around 200 years ago during the era of the Habsburg Monarchy. Vineyards were typically planted with a mixture of several different varieties during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Hundreds of varieties thrived and were often difficult to distinguish from one another. Further complicating categorization, were multiple names for the very same variety, which differed from district to district and even from village to village. It was not until the second half of the 19th century that a vague comprehension about the enormous variety that had developed during the Habsburg Monar- © Shutterstock 18 falstaff WINE GUIDE 2023/24

WHITE WINE VARIETIES chy solidified. At the end of the 19th century, major vineyard epidemics spread. Oidium and peronospora followed by phylloxera decimated vineyards in all of Europe. After the propagation of European vines on disease and phylloxera resistant American rootstocks was discov ered, planting of vineyards with a sin gle selected variety was initiated. Until World War II, vineyards were cultivated in bush or gobelet styles and it was not until the 1950s that wire-frame trellis systems caught on. The so-called Lenz Moser cultivation, conceived and propagated by a well-known Austrian winery owner and viticulture engineer revolutionized the country’s viticulture and made mechanical cultivation possible for the first time. Grüner Veltliner in particular adapted well to this specific form of planting and the variety became Austria’s predominant grape. Today young vines are preferably esta blished in a cordon training system with high leaf canopies and high density of vines. It is no longer the potential quantity that is the priority, but physiologically ripe and aromatic grapes of high quality. Subsidization from the European Union has further supported the concentrated efforts on improvements in Austrian vine yards. Consumer demand is clearly moving towards red wine consumption and new plantings in suitable vineyards and microclimates reflect this. Some less fashionable or less interesting white varieties are being replaced with red wine varieties. It is easily imaginable that the number of grape varieties, which are really used for the produc tion of high-quality wine in Austria, will decrease. Already today, wines from some of the varieties stated on the list are rarely found on the market. The Federal College and Research Centre for Viticulture and Pomology Klosterneuburg near Vienna is the country’s leader in research and cultivation innovation. This is where Professor Fritz Zweigelt worked in the early 1920s and culti vated the Blauer Zweigelt variety by crossing St. Laurent and Blaufrän kisch, resulting in Austria’s most successful and popular black grape. Leading scientists like Dr. Ferdinand Regner are currently researching the genetic origin of indigenous Austrian varieties and their clones by means of DNA-sequencing. Dr. Ferdinand Regner succeeded in documenting the significant role of Traminer, whose genes can be found in numerous Austrian varieties. The Austrian wine landscape offers broad varietal diversity, which is multiplied by quite differing soils and microclimates. In the end, it is the responsibility of every single vintner to select varieties most suited for each vineyard site. WHITE WINE VARIETIES GRÜNER VELTLINER Synonyms: Weissgipfler, Grüner, Manhardsrebe, Grüner Muskateller Grüner Veltliner is the main grape variety in Austria, grown predominantly in the wine-growing areas Weinviertel, Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental, Wagram, and Wachau. Grüner Veltliner is not botanically related to other Veltliner varieties like Brauner Veltliner, Roter Veltliner or Frühroter Veltliner. Traminer has long been known as one of the parents of Grüner Veltliner, but the other parent remained unknown until recently. An Grüner Veltliner 19