Wine-growing regions and landscapes
Austria’s wine-growing regions include Wachau, Burgenland and Kamptal. Wachau lies in a narrow Danube valley between Melk and Krems. Its vineyards are frequently laid out as steep terraces with dry-stone walls and are mostly planted on weathered primary rock soils; in the eastern sides of individual slopes, loess can be found.
Climate and soils
In Kamptal, loess, gravel, primary rock and volcanic elements come together. The Heiligenstein features Permian sandstone with volcanic inclusions and has a hot, dry microclimate. Especially in the cooler northern areas, clear differences can occur between day and night temperatures. Burgenland is shaped by intense sunshine and diverse soils, including limestone and slate on the Leithaberg, as well as sandy, gravelly and deep soils around Lake Neusiedl.
Grape varieties and wine styles
Grüner Veltliner is Austria’s most widely planted grape variety and, in the 2023/24 wine-growing year, accounted for 32.3 per cent of vineyard area with 14,296 hectares. In Wachau, Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are the most important grape varieties. The white wines produced there are divided into the categories Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd: Steinfeder stands for light, delicate wines, Federspiel for dry wines with medium body, and Smaragd for concentrated, robust wines made from late-harvested grapes with at least 12.5 per cent by volume of alcohol.
Kamptal DAC is limited to wines made from Grüner Veltliner or Riesling and distinguishes a classically oriented, medium-bodied category, as well as a fuller, dry reserve. In Burgenland, the range extends from white and red wines to botrytis-style sweet wines. This includes fruity red wines made from Zweigelt and mineral-styled red wines made from Blaufränkisch in specific origin areas.
Protected designation of origin
Wachau, Burgenland and Kamptal are protected Austrian designations of origin in the European Union’s wine law. The protected designation of origin Burgenland covers the entire federal state and allows wine as well as quality sparkling wine; the documented maximum yield is 10,000 kilograms of grapes per hectare. For Kamptal wines, from the 2025 vintage onwards the grapes must, in principle, come from certified organic production or production certified under “Sustainable Austria”, with one exception for producers who declare less than 5,000 litres of Kamptal wine for the vintage.