Although Austria is not one of the world’s best
known wine production areas, in fact the country does produce some impressive
varieties. Most of the wine produced in Austria are dry whites which are
frequently made using the Gruner Veltliner grape. However, there are some other
sweet wines produced in the country too, including the dessert wines which are
made in the Neusiedler See region. Approximately 30% of Austrian wines are
reds, and are made from the Blaufrankisch grape as well as pinot noir grapes
and other varieties which are bred locally. The Austrian wine industry is not so well known as
the wines of neighbouring Germany, however they have been producing wine in
Austria for four thousands years. Nevertheless, in 1985 the antifreeze scandal
deterred many people from buying Austrian wines (it was reported in the media
that some of the country’s wine brokers had adulterated their produces with
diethylene glycol). The Austrian wine market was effectively destroyed by the
scandal and resulting in the country tackling the low standards which were in
place at that time for the bulk production of wine. Austria has now
repositioned itself as a producer of high quality wine, and is home to some
excellent producers including Weingut FX Pichler and Weingut Hutter.
The most common white grape used in Austrian wines
is Gruner Veltliner, which makes predominantly white wines, however the ancient
variety known as Welschriesling is used to produce the noble rot dessert wine
of the Neusiedlersee region. Although traditional Riesling grapes are used much
less frequently in the production of Austrian wines than in neighbouring
Germany, the small amount grown here is used in the production of some of the
country’s top selling dry whites...