Ultimate Wine Guide 2018/19

EDITORIAL

DEAR READERS,
DEAR FRIENDS
OF AUSTRIAN WINE
Peter Moser
It was 16 years ago now that I first wrote
this English language guide dedicated to
Austrian wine and producers who concentrate
on exporting their wines outside the
country. These passionate vintners fulfil important
roles as ambassadors of quality making
the wines produced in our little Alpine Republic
known throughout the world. Grape varieties
such as Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, St. Laurent
and Blaufränkisch have championed the
hearts of wine lovers around the world. Although
the volume of wine produced in Austria
is barely enough to fulfil the demands of
the domestic market, the share of wine exportations
continues to grow. Despite a slight decline
in export volume due to the small 2016
harvest, the export year 2017 exceeded all expectations.
With a steep increase in export values,
the 150-million mark was cracked for the
first time at 158.6 million euros. The average
price per litre achieved a new all-time high. The
former “Grosslage” Rosalia, just south of the
Leitha Mountains in the heart of Burgenland is
now Austria’s eleventh DAC protected designation
of origin. Typical regional wines will appear
under “Rosalia DAC” and “Rosalia DAC
Reserve” in the future, while unique regional
rosé wines will be labelled “Rosalia DAC
Rosé”. A new quality pyramid for Austrian
Sekt (sparkling wine with a minimum of 3 bars
pressure in the bottle) has been created with
three levels: Klassik, Reserve and Große Reserve.
With the purchase of an Austrian Sekt
with protected designation of origin, one has
not only a wine of documented pedigree, but
also a guarantee that the highest standards
have been observed in its production. The term
“sustainable” is no longer just a slogan in Austria
and it is pleasing that Austrian vintners are
so ambitious when it comes to environmental
protection in their choice of production methods.
Our winegrowers are environmentally
conscious and demonstrate this in the way they
care for their greatest capital, their vineyards.
As of 2015 Austrian vintners now have the
possibility to abtain official verification for sustainable
vineyard cultivation methods and label
their wines with the seal “certified sustainable
Austria”. A trend in “new” vinification
techniques witnesses vintners returning to old
methods. Whether Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner
Veltliner, Riesling, or St. Laurent one can observe
experiments with vini fication in clay amphora,
an ancient production method from
Georgia where “Kvevri” have been used since
the Neolithic period. There are experimental
wines being produced in multiple variations
with minimal intervention, even without sulphur
dioxide. “Natural” and “orange” wines
remain rare, but their number is growing. And
that is a good thing. New taste variations are
being explored and an alternative world of
WINE GUIDE 2018
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