Austria has a vivid and, most importantly, fully formed image in our minds: it is a country of Gothic architecture, classical music, Viennese coffee, pork schnitzel, Tyrolean costume, Sacher cake, green meadows, and snow-white ski resorts. Seems like plenty for a relatively small country, but behind it all lies one truly phenomenal phenomenon of the last 30 years - Austrian wine production.

It has taken Austria such a short time by winemaking standards to go from a country with a reputation for producing cheap wines to a recognized authority on white wines and the reds that are rapidly catching up.

One of the best ways to learn more about them is to go to Austria and see for yourself. Believe me, it's worth it!

Why go on a wine trip to Austria?

It's original. And practical at the same time. On the one hand, this destination is actively visited by people from neighboring Germany, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, so the infrastructure in the wine part of Austria is usually very good. On the other hand, Austrians are very happy to see new visitors, so you are especially welcome here: they realize that only people with a keen interest in wine come to visit them, as the main tourist spots are out of the way.

This is an opportunity to understand how to build an outstanding wine country practically from scratch if you have a real desire and strong government support.

It took the Austrians exactly two years after the so-called "antifreeze scandal" of 1985 (when several producers were found guilty of adding diethylene glycol to wine to give it extra sweetness and oiliness) to pass almost the strictest wine legislation in the world in terms of quality.

Perhaps most wineries lack a certain breath of antiquity that is sometimes present in Bordeaux chateaux or Rioja bodegas, but there is no arrogant traditionalism or sense of superiority. Most Austrians speak English perfectly and willingly.

It's beautiful. Austria is a picturesque and predominantly green country, and quite a few of the wine-growing areas are located on picturesque hills in river valleys. Believe me, it's not for nothing that the Wachau vineyards have been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

This is an opportunity to taste something unique and interesting. You will have the opportunity to taste not only something exclusive but also often something mature - some winemakers and many small wine shops have a good stock of wines of older vintages. Of course, not all of them turn out to be phenomenal, but the prices make it quite possible to play the lottery.

Season's Choice

Undoubtedly, many people have thought of cleverly combining skiing and a wine trip. But this idea would have to be abandoned for geographical reasons at least (more on that in the next paragraph). Besides, the sloping hills of Lower Austria lose much of their appeal when covered with snow, and there is nothing to say about the plains near Lake Neusiedler. The Austrians themselves don't mind skiing, which is why many wineries are closed during the winter season.

Early spring is also recommended to avoid: everything blooms here only by mid-May. But summer is unexpectedly attractive; in Austria, this season is not as hot as, for example, in neighboring Italy. Besides, it is the peak of the tourist season for wineries, which are actively besieged by Germans, so many wineries welcome tourists even in August, a traditional taboo month for visits in most other European regions.

And, of course, late autumn - late October and the first weeks of November - is the most gorgeous. Here, autumn is mild and with little rainfall, allowing the vineyards to shine with all the colors of yellow, orange, and red. However, be vigilant, some restaurants and hotels may not be open from mid-November onwards.

Where to stay and eat 

The hotels here are not bad. As a rule, they are small traditional family hotels, but most of them have only a historical facade, and everything else has been completely remodeled and polished to a shine. Often there are heurigen or buschenschanken - traditional noisy taverns, which Austrians are very proud of.

 Wine hotels attached to wineries are also actively developing. These, on the contrary, have modern high-tech designs and elegant restaurants with variations on Austrian-style haute cuisine. Both types of hotels often offer excellent value for money. 

If you want a more exclusive holiday, you can safely stay in one of the spa hotels Loisium. They are located right in the heart of geographically opposite wine regions - Lower Austria and Southern Styria, so they are fully imbued with wine themes. As for restaurants, there are plenty of them to suit all tastes, from traditional heurigen to the world's top 50 best restaurants (e.g. Vienna's Pogush). 

Austria is well covered by the Michelin rating, so it can be safely used during your search, as can the local Falstaff guide. Most restaurants start serving dinner from 18:00, but don't be surprised if by 20:00 you are the only guest - Austrians are even more pedantic than Germans in this respect, and establishments, as well as streets, however, die out by 8 o'clock.

Wine geography 

Four wine regions are spread from North to South: Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, and Styria. Almost all winemakers accept willingly, and most even for free.

Lower Austria (an average hour's drive from Vienna)

A key wine region, where 60% of total wine production is concentrated. One of the largest sub-regions of Lower Austria is Weinviertel, home to the country's biggest producers, and frankly, not much to do here. 

There are also such iconic sub-regions as Wachau, Camptal, Traisental, and Kremstal - the real gems of Austrian winemaking, where Riesling and Grüner Veltliner wines are most successful. Most of Austria's most famous and reputable winemakers are from here. 

It is also home to some of the most beautiful vineyards in the country, picturesquely nestled in the valley of the Danube and its tributaries. In addition to the wineries, the majestic monasteries of the late Middle Ages, which have been preserved almost in their original state (in particular the imposing Melk, built on one of the highest hills in the neighborhood), are worth a visit. The most iconic wineries are P.X. Pichler, Rudi Pichler, Brundlmayer, Domane Wachau, Malat, Nigl, Huber, Neumayer, and Hirtzberger.

Vienna

Vienna has long been Europe's only metropolitan wine region (relatively recently joined by Madrid and Lisbon). Today, the few local vineyards are experiencing a modest renaissance. In particular, the local specialty, Gemischter Satz DAC, is gaining popularity. 

This is a light white wine made from a "field blend" (when all the grapes are harvested and fermented at the same time) of more than four varieties. The iconic producers are Pfaffl and Zull.

Burgenland, (an average hour's drive from Vienna)

Subdivided into Neusiedlersee-Hugelland, Mittelburgenland and Sudburgenland. Home to Austria's best red dry and white sweet wines. Unless you are holidaying in one of the fashionable spa resorts on the shores of Lake Neusiedler, there is nothing else to do here besides visiting wineries. However, it produces sumptuous, lush, and well-balanced Zweigelt wines, as well as more elegant and austere Blaufrankisch wines.

Rust is home to the famous Austrian Wine Academy, one of the most respected in Europe. Producers: Kracher (master of sweet wines), Heinrich, Krutzler, Gesellmann, Feiler-Artinger.

Styria

(about a 2.5-hour drive from Vienna).

The least known region, and in many ways it's unfair. Here, in a mountainous area almost on the very border with Slovenia, they produce deliciously subtle and refreshing sauvignon blancs, as well as perfectly balanced northern-style chardonnays (called morillon here).

Then there's the distinctive schilcher aperitif rose wine, made from autochthonous 'blauer wildbacher' and recently awarded Schilcherland DAC status. Top producers include Tement, Polz, and Gross.

No matter how many wine regions in Austria you visit, we assure you that pleasant surprises and amazing wine discoveries await you!