What is the most popular wine from Austria?

What is the Most Popular Wine from Austria?

Grüner Veltliner, Austria’s „signature“ wine, is the most popular wine from Austria. The designation Grüner Veltliner is related to the colour of the grapes. Grüner Veltliner is an Austrian autochthonous grape variety. Autochthonous grape varieties are varieties that have developed in a certain area and are the result of a long cultivation process. Grüner Veltliner is Austria’s most important grape variety. It has been planted more frequently than all other varieties with 33 per cent of Austria’s vineyards and in Lower Austria, 49 per cent of the vineyards planted with this variety. The Weinviertel harbours the main occurrence of Grüner Veltliner.

Grüner Veltliner grapes are usually densely berried and relatively large and conical in shape. The Grüner Veltliner grapes themselves are large and round to elongated. When ripe, Grüner Veltliner grapes are yellowish in colour with brown spots. The skin of Grüner Veltliner grapes is thick.

Grüner Veltliner appeals to broad sections of the Austrian population with a national sense of identification with this variety. Viticulture in general and Grüner Veltliner in particular are part of the Austrian identity. Grüner Veltliner was appreciated above all for its favourable price, constant availability and suitability as a simple refreshment drink.

Grüner Veltliner is a timeless classic that has transformed from a regional cheap and simple wine with an acidic flavour, which was produced in quantity and consumed at Heurigen wine taverns, mainly as a spritz wine to a quality wine of the international wine scene thanks to the special exposure of the winegrowing regions of Austria – especially Wagram, the Wachau and the Kamp valley in Lower Austria – that have benefited from the changing climatic conditions over the past 50 years.

Gruner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner can be more than „fruity, spicy and peppery“. The range in terms of maturation and flavour is greater than with almost any other grape variety, especially as Grüner Veltliner is able to reflect the soil on which it is grown quite strikingly when it is vinified to a high quality and reduced yield. Grüner Veltliner thrives on poor and fertile soils, but its favourite subsoil is loess. Whether as a light summer wine or – as a late-harvested – crescendo such as the Smaragd wines of the Wachau valley, Grüner Veltiner is able to impress in a variety of ways. Today Grüner Veltliner from Austria is an internationally sought after grape variety.

The Soil of Gruner Veltliner

On this Gruner Veltliner tour we visit 3 soils on which the best Gruner Veltliner grows in Austria. We start with Wagram which is situated in a quarter of Lower Austria that is called Weinviertel which means wine quarter if translated literally. The Weinviertel is the Austrian region with the main occurrence of Grüner Veltliner. From the Wagram we move on to the west to Langenlois which is the capital of the Kamptal. From Langenlois it is a short ride to southwest to Weißenkirchen on the Danube in the Wachau valley as you can see on the above map.

Wagram Geography

The Wagram, an elongated mountain range up to 40 metres high, which accompanies the Danube on both sides from Krems, south to Traismauer, north to the Vienna area, that has been the Wagram wine-growing region since 2007, forms the northern border of the Tullnerfeld. The Tullnerfeld was once criss-crossed by meanders of the Danube, which transported gravel and sand from the Alps towards the Vienna Basin. The gravelled area of the Tullnerfeld stretches from Krems on the Danube in the west to the Vienna Gate in the east and is bordered by the Wagram in the north and the Vienna Woods in the south. On the northern side of the Tullnerfeld, the Wagram forms a steep, widely visible slope of glacial loess on the foot of which the scenic wine cellar alleys can be seen when riding through the Tullnerfeld.

Wagram Geology

„Wagram“ comes from „Wogenrain“, which means something like „seashore“ since the Wagram was initially formed from marine sediments. The Wagram terrain level was formed by the deposition of drifting sand blown out of this gravel surface on the ridge that used to form the cliffs of the Tethys and Paratethys. The Tethys is a geological ocean that existed predominantly in the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic in the eastern hemisphere. The name is derived from Tethys, a sea goddess in Greek mythology and was coined in the late 19th century by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess. Suess used it to name the extensive sea basin in which the Mesozoic marine sediments, which today appear as thick rock sequences in the Alps and other young Eurasian fold mountains, must have been deposited.

Wagram Wine Growing Area

The wine growing area of the Wagram north of the Danube, to the east of the Kamptal, a mighty terrain level, the actual Wagram, stretches about 30 kilometres to the east and is dominated by loess. The loess almost completely covers the subsoil of crystalline rocks, silty-clayey marine deposits of the molasse zone and cold-age terrace gravels. The yellowish-mealy and always chalky-dolomitic rock dust of the loess is up to several metres thick in places. Loess is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust that can be many meters high. Loess is the Wagram region’s distinctive terroir producing Gruner Veltliner with extract, rich fruits and plenty of weight and body.

Loess

Loess was mostly formed during the last ice age up until around 13,000 years ago, when glaciers and frost crushed rocks and stones into rock flour. The basic material for the loess soil was deposited by the wind. Loess soil is characterised by its high storage capacity for plant-available water and nutrients, which can easily accumulate on the large surface of the fine soil particles. Microorganisms are highly active in loess soil and thus ensure good soil quality, as they provide food for more highly developed organisms in the soil, decompose organic waste and retain nutrients in the soil. Strong, full-bodied Grune Veltliners with a fruity bouquet grow on loess. The full-bodied nature of Gruner Veltliner wines grown on loess is due to the depth of the loess soil, which is also easy to root. The looseness of the loess soil makes it easy for the vines to drive their roots deep into the soil. Loess soils warm up quickly and are well aerated. The fertile loess soil generously supplies the vines with everything they need to become profound wines.

Barrels on wheels

For gentle handling of wines while they are moved to other temperature zones in the cellar of Domaine Gobelsburg barrels on wheels are employed since using pumps for the transfer of wine could upset its current state by shearing, agitation and heating of the wine and thereby altering the product by impacting its integrity.

Kamptal Loess

In addition to the Wagram wine-growing region, excellent Grüner Veltliner also grows on the loess of the Kamptal in the Gobelsburg and Langenlois area, for example in the Lamm and Grub vineyards on the Heiligenstein and in the Spiegel vineyard south of Langenlois where we stop next on our Grüner Veltliner wine tour after having tasted the Grüner Veltliner from the vineyard Wadenthal in Neudegg in the wine growing region Wagram.

Heiligenstein

The Heiligenstein is a 360 m high mountain ridge and foothill of the Manhartsberg in Zöbing in the Kamptal in Lower Austria, the western side of which was formed by the river Kamp. The Manhartsberg is a low, elongated mountain range that stretches from the river Thaya in the north to the Wagram, an elongated mountain range up to 40 metres high, which stretches from Krems north of the Danube towards Vienna, and, as the eastern edge of the Bohemian Massif, forms the „boundary stone“ for the quarter above the Manhartsberg (Waldviertel) and the quarter below the Manhartsberg (Weinviertel).

On the open southern slope of the Heiligenstein there are the most important vineyards of the Kamptal wine-growing region. These slopes descending into the Kamptal have been used for viticulture since the Middle Ages. Renowned wineries such as Bründlmayer and Schloss Gobelsburg, among others, cultivate Gruner Veltliner vineyards on the Heiligenstein such as for example on Grub and Lamm vineyard. Southwest of the Kamp river there is the Spiegel vineyard.

Spiegel refers to a hill that offers a wide view. The partially terraced vineyards of the Spiegel vineyard south of Langenlois are predominantly orientated towards the north-east. Primarily Grüner Veltliner is cultivated on the thick loess of the Spiegel vineyard. On the other side of the Kamp river there is the Heiligenstein and on the foot of the Heiligenstein there are the Gruner Veltliner premier cru vineyards Lamm and Renner. Walking up Heiligenstein through Lamm vineyard gets you to another premier cru Grüner Veltliner vineyard that is called Grub. It’s area covers the valley pit between Heiligenstein and Gaisberg.

Kamptal wine ripening

At the beginning of grape ripening, the vine almost exclusively stores acids in the softening berries. To do this, it converts the sugar, which is formed in the leaves via photosynthesis, the process in which light energy is converted to chemical energy in the form of sugars, and transported from the leaves, as leaves produce more carbohydrates than they consume, via specialised vessels to the grapes, into acid. During the further ripening phase, the sugar content of the grapes increases relatively evenly over a long period of time. Parallel to the increase in sugar, the acid content in the grapes decreases, as the vine consumes acid to generate energy for its life processes during the night, as photosynthesis is no longer a source of energy without sunlight.

The warmer the nights are, the more energy the vine needs and the faster the acidity of the grapes decreases as has been shown by Kliewer in 1973. Cool nights are therefore an advantage for sufficient acidity in the later wine. The south-facing slopes of the Heiligenstein warm up during the day when the sun shines. However, at night, cold air travelling south from the Waldviertel through the Kamptal towards the Danube provides the necessary cooling to slow down the acidity decrease.

Grüner Veltliner sparkling wine

Sparkling wine is a wine with gas bubbles in it. The gas in sparkling wine is carbon dioxide, which is produced during fermentation, first in a barrel and then traditionally in a bottle for a second fermentation. Before disgorging, the bottles are stored upside down in a rack and shaken by hand every day to allow the yeast to settle.

Domaine Gobelsburg

After the walk through the Grüner Veltliner vineyards on Heiligenstein it is time to see where the wine is pressed. Gobelsburg is a village south of Langenlois. Gobelsburg Castle is a baroque four-winged complex with a Renaissance centre, situated next to the church on the castle hill above the village, which has been owned by Zwettl Abbey since 1746. From 1958, the Cistercian Father Bertrand ran the winery and made the „Gobelsburg Mass wine“ a well-known brand. Since 1996, the Domaine Gobelsburg has been run by Michael Moosbrugger From 1958, the Cistercian Father Bertrand ran the winery and made the „Gobelsburg Mass wine“ a well-known brand. Since 1996, Domaine Gobelsburg has been run by Michael Moosbrugger, whose aim is to treat the harvested grapes as gently as possible in order to maximise the expression of the soil on which they grow.

Steel Tanks

Stainless steel tanks can be used for the fermentation, storage and ageing of Gruner Veltliner wines. The advantages over wooden tanks are that they are easy to clean, are completely sealed off from oxygen, have less shrinkage and can be temperature-controlled. The disadvantage of ageing Grüner Veltliner wines in stainless steel tanks is that the multi-layered aromas created by fine oxidation cannot develop, as these can only develop when the wine is aged in wooden barrels which enable gas exchange with the environment.

The ageing of Grüner Veltliner in small wooden barrels

The ageing of Grüner Veltliner in small wooden barrels in the cellar of the Domaine Gobelsburg. These oak barrels are made from wood from the Manhartsberg, a region north of Langenlois. After spontaneous fermentation, the Grüner Veltliner wine is matured on the fine lees in these small wooden barrels which character is moulded by the prevailing weather conditions in which the vines are grown that are stored in it. Fine yeast is the residual yeast that remains in the wine after fermentation and racking into another barrel and causes the fine lees. The fine lees are relatively fine, small yeast particles, some of which are still alive, which slowly sink to the bottom of the wine. They give the wine a sparkling freshness.

Cloister wine cellar

In 2021, the 850th year of Gobelsburg Castle, a new cloister cellar in the traditional style was built at Domaine Gobelsburg. In the spirit of the Cistercians, the owners of Gobelsburg Castle who placed the responsibility for Gobelsburg Castle in the hands of Michael Moosbrugger and his family 25 years ago a unique cellar has been created in the traditional style with cross vaults around a central courtyard flooded with light, which is designed to last for five hundred years. As in a monastery, the functional rooms of the winery are arranged around the cloister, the centre of the cellar.

Wachau

The Wachau valley is home to Austria’s most famous wine-growing region. It lies along the Danube between Willendorf and Rothenhof on the north side and between Aggstein and Mautern on the south side where the Danube has carved its way through solid gneiss and amphibolites of the Bohemian Massif. During the glacial periods when there was little vegetation, flue dust was deposited in the lee of the Wachau’s elevations, forming loess layers on the eastern sides of the crystalline slopes. The Loibenberg and Kellerberg vineyards in Dürnstein, the Achleiten and Klaus vineyards in Weißenkirchen in the Wachau and the Singerriedl vineyard in Spitz on the Danube grow some of the greatest, most powerful Grüner Veltliners, which are among the best in the world.

Kellerberg vineyard

The prime location Kellerberg is situated on the local mountain of the Domaine Wachau. Kellerberg is the most famous vineyard in the Wachau valley located in the municipality of Dürnstein on the south-eastern slope of the Dürnsteiner Schloßberg. Due to the south-eastern orientation the Kellerberg gets sun early in the morning and cold air from the forest north of the Kellerberg at night that provides the cooling, which is important for the balanced acidity of the finished wine.

The Kellerberg, with a slope gradient of up to 65%, is composed of Gföhler gneiss, a metamorphic rock formed from a granite-like parent rock. The vineyards on the terraced Kellerberg are steep requiring manual cultivation. Due to the south-easterly orientation of the Kellerberg, the vineyard was turned away from the westerly winds during the ice ages. As a result, loess was left behind, of which small islands can still be found on the Kellerberg today. Erosion on the slope of the Kellerberg has mixed loess with Gföhl gneiss.

Grüner Veltliner from the Kellerberg vineyard in Dürnstein

The Grüner Veltliner from the Kellerberg vineyard in Dürnstein is a classic among Wachau valley wines. Concentrated and deep wines are characteristic of the Kellerberg vineyard, precise and powerful with a balanced acid structure and a mineral finish. F.X. Pichler, one of the most internationally renowned Wachau winegrowers, has a dream location for the production of elegant and delicate wines in the Kellerberg vineyard.

Achleiten vineyard

Around the bend the Danube makes upstream from Dürnstein there is the steep slope of the Achleiten vineyard rising up from the Danube.

The Achleiten vineyard in Weißenkirchen with its dry stone walls from the 12th century, one of the best-known vineyards in the Wachau valley, which stretches from the Danube up to the forest from 209 – 357 metres above sea level, is one of the best white wine vineyards in the Wachau due to its orientation from south-east to west and its proximity to the Danube.

The „Ach-“ part of the name Achleiten refers to the name of a flowing body of water, while the „-leiten“ part of Achleiten refers to a steep slope. The soils of the Achleiten vineyard have different origins. There are classic weathered soils of paragneiss and the migmatite amphibolite that is particularly common here. The last foothills of Gföhl gneiss, which predominate in the Dürnsteiner and Loibner area, can also be found in the upper part of the Achleiten vineyard.

Stock culture in the Achleiten vineyard

In the past, most vineyards in Austria were planted as „stock cultures“, as the Romans did in ancient times. Today, a vineyard with a cane culture is a rarity, as the labour required for a cane culture is four times higher than for a high culture. In cane cultivation, wooden sticks are used to support the vines. Each individual vine is supported by a single stake. In winter, the vine is pruned back to a few centimetres and in spring the vines grow up the cane. This original form of training has advantages. The proximity to the soil allows a deeper root system to develop with a better water supply for the vines. The grapes absorb the minerality of the soil and develop a fully ripe flavour.

Grüner Veltliner from the Achleiten vineyard in Weißenkirchen

The Achleiten vineyard stands for powerful Grüner Veltliner wines with great individuality, a dense and melting texture and a balance of fresh acidity. Grüner Veltliner from the Achleiten vineyard has an aroma of vineyard peaches and particularly fine, fresh herbal spice, with delicate notes of stone fruit and subtle exotic flavours of pineapple, physalis and mango.

Klaus vineyard

The Klaus vineyard is adjacent east to the Achleiten vineyard. In the Alpine region, a gorge-like bottleneck in a valley is known as a hermitage. The steep location of Ried Klaus, between the Danube and Achleiten vineyard, gave it the name Klaus. Ried Klaus, terraced vineyards on a south-east facing slope, is the continuation of Achleiten in an easterly direction. The Klaus vineyard is separated from Achleiten by a path running uphill to the north-east, which also represents a geological fault line.

The soil of the upper Klaus is dominated by migmatite amphibolite, the main characteristics of which are the uniform, small-grained structure and the slate-parallel, mostly blurred striped formation, which is caused by different hornblende contents. Hornblende is the general name for calcareous amphiboles. Amphiboles are salts and esters of orthosilicic acid (Si(OH)4), which are structurally characterised by double chains of corner-linked SiO4 tetrahedra. Ordinary hornblende is typically black in colour.

Paragneiss is predominant in the lower part of the Klaus vineyard. The main constituents of paragneiss are plagioclase, alkali feldspar, quartz and biotite. The fissility of the rock and a thick layer of fine soil provide sufficient water and nutrient storage. The fissures in the weathered rock allow the vines to root deep into the subsoil. Migmatite amphibolite and paragneiss weather into sandy, alkaline-rich soils with neutral pH values and good water drainage.

Grüner Veltliner from the Klaus vineyard in Weißenkirchen

Grüner Veltliner from the famous Klaus vineyard in Weißenkirchen in the Wachau can be a very drinkable, fruity, crisp and fresh Grüner Veltliner, a typical „Wachau wine“, with enormous fruit sweetness and harmonious acidity, paired with fine, peppery herbal spice and noticeably powerful, subtly invigorating minerality on the palate with a fruity finish.

Grüner Veltliner walk in Weißenkirchen in the Wachau valley

On this vineyard walk, you leave Weißenkirchen from the market square on Kremser Straße in an easterly direction towards the Achleiten vineyard. You cross the lower part of the Achleiten vineyard with a view of the Danube flowing below. At a fork in the path, keep left and walk uphill. You are now walking on the border, at the upper edge of the Klaus vineyard and at the lower edge of the Achleiten vineyard, continuing uphill in a north-easterly direction.

At the top where the path enters the forest, you make a bend at an acute angle and walk along the upper edge of the Achleiten vineyard, along the edge of the forest in a westerly direction around the slope into the Grablbachgraben where you cross over to the other side of the ditch and head south towards the village of Weißenkirchen. The hike stretches over 4.4 kilometres. The highest point is 320 metres above sea level. From the lowest point at 202 metres, it is 118 metres to the highest point. The route is easy to walk in sturdy low shoes. You should allow about 2 hours for the walk.

Details of the Gruner Veltliner wine tour from Vienna

The Gruner Veltliner Tour from Vienna to the wine growing regions of Wagram, Kamptal and Wachau valley in Lower Austria is a private whole day wine tasting tour with little walks in the Gruner Veltliner vineyards

Duration: approximately 8 to 9 hours

The driving distance from Vienna to Wagram, Kamptal and the Wachau valley is approximately 100 km.

The Gruner Veltliner tour by car from Vienna takes you along the Danube upstream, initially through the Danube floodplains and then through the flat Tullner Feld, which is bordered to the north by the wine-growing region Wagram, our first stop on the Gruner Veltliner Tour from Vienna.

Gruner Veltliner Tour

What to expect

On this private tour for 2 you go to the winegrowing regions Wagram, Kamptal and Wachau in Lower Austria that are home of the best Gruner Veltliners in Austria. You get a chance to see the vineyards of the best Gruner Veltliners and to taste Austria’s best Gruner Veltliners there. During a break in a cosy wine tavern while enjoying a typical local winegrower’s snack with Gruner Veltliner you will have the opportunity to exchange your views about Austrian Gruner Veltliner with your knowlegdable guides.

What's included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in Vienna

Private transportation by car to the Lower Austrian wine growing areas of Wagram, Kamptal and Wachau

Little walks in the Gruner Veltliner vineyards of Wagram, Kamptal and the Wachau valley with tasting of Gruner Veltliner of the respective vineyards

As an alternative to the last stop of the Grüner Veltliner Wine Tour in the Wachau valley, a cellar tour and tasting at the Domaine Gobelsburg is possible, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.

Visit of a local wine tavern with consummation of a typical Winegrower’s snack accompanied by Gruner Veltliner

Return transportation by car to Vienna

A live local wine guide

Departure and return

Departure details
- Traveler pickup is offered.
- We pickup guests from all Vienna accommodations.
- If your hotel is inaccessible by car due to restrictions, pickup will be held from a nearby location within short walking distance.
Return details
- Returns to original departure point

Accessibility

This tour is not wheelchair accessible.

Booking information

Booking is done by phone +43 680 301 7720 or email otto@schlappack.net
Bookings are confirmed after a 150 € deposit has been transferred to our PayPal business account using the link PayPal.Me/schlappack.
The balance is due at the end of the tour and can be paid in cash or by card.
This tour is a private tour for 2 travelers.
2 people per booking is required.
Minimum age is 16 years.
Pickup time is 9:00 am.
Most travelers can participate.
Duration 8 – 9 hours approx. The exact duration may vary including pickup and drop off.

Cancellation policy

Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start of the tour.

How much is the Gruner Veltliner tour?

The private Gruner Veltliner tour for 2 travelers is € 795,00
The private Gruner Veltliner tour for 2 travelers is € 895,00
After transferring a 150 Euro deposit to our PayPal business account using the link PayPal.Me/schlappack to confirm the booking the balance is due at the end of the tour and can be paid in cash or by card.

Availability

The Gruner Veltliner tour is available from April 2024.

Help

If you have questions about this tour just call +43 680 301 7720 and speak with Mr. Otto Schlappack, the organiser of the Gruner Veltliner wine tour.

Wine Tasting