Austria’s energetic work to classify single vineyards may look like a high-end niche activity, but it chimes perfectly with the country’s wider strategy for building wine sales worldwide, reports Gabriel Stone.
Speaking to
the drinks business as more than 100 Austrian producers visited London for a tasting this week, Chris York, CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board said: “We position Austria as a premium wine producing country, a sustainable wine producing country and a country with a mix of tradition and modernity.
Noting that the country now has 5,000 officially demarcated single vineyards, York highlighted the major generic level investment that has gone into promoting these, most notably in the form of a free, dedicated, highly detailed website,
austrianvineyards.com.
In contrast to the different classification systems used by French wine regions, York remarked: “Austria is the only country now with a national vineyard classification system. You have the same criteria in each region.”
Signed into law
He set this development,
which was signed into law in 2023, within the context of Austrian wine’s wider evolution.
“Austria has been on this major quality drive for the last 40 years. It’s really exciting to see where it’s going,” observed York, who also pointed to producers’ desire to sustain this momentum in a focused way. “There’s no resting on your laurels in Austria. There’s less arrogance than you’ll find elsewhere,” he suggested. “Then there’s the Austrian way of thinking ‘how do I codify that?’”
Much of this vineyard classification work has been spearheaded by the Österreich Traditionsweingüter (ÖTW) a producers’ association that now includes 90 members across eight DAC wine regions.
While acknowledging the different focus of the ÖTW, which channels its efforts within the most site specific, high-end pinnacle of Austria’s origin-focused marketing strategy, York stressed the shared objectives of the AWMB.
“We’re trying to increase exports, to focus on premium wine sales, to get the message out,” he outlined. “It’s always important we’re trying to do stuff under one roof. People only have so much time for Austria.”
Growing conviction
A neat illustration of this joined up approach was the masterclass featuring ÖTW Erste Lagen, or “premier cru”, wines as part of the AWMB’s London tasting. Andreas Wickhoff MW, general manager for ÖTW founder member estate Weingut Bründlmayer, pointed to a growing conviction behind the association’s mission.
“Since the foundation of the classification in 1991 in Kamptal and Kremstal, the relevance of Erste Lage sites has increased; the idea of trying to define the best sites in these appellations,” he set out.
While many other wine regions around the world boast single vineyards, Wickhoff explained why Austria’s ÖTW has taken its classification mission to a level of detail that rivals Burgundy.
“I think first of all it’s the history we have. We do have a great wine history going back to the 1100s and the Cistercian and Benedictine monks who brought wine culture to our nation,” he observed. “Long before the ÖTW, Austria named our wines after their origin. We had a romantic approach to wine naming and books have kept record of this character.”
Although Austria’s single vineyards can be found in every DAC, not every region has chosen to embrace the Erste Lagen and Grosse Lagen (grand cru) classification model of the ÖTW.
“Burgenland has never had a history of classification, like in the Rhône,” remarked Wickhoff. “For them it doesn’t make sense.”
Even in Austrian regions that currently sit outside the ÖTW, the focus on single vineyard wines is growing. “Thirty years ago no-one was talking about single vineyard wines in Weststeiermark,” remarked Stefan Langmann of Weingut Lex Langmann. Today he is among those embracing the concept, arguing: “It’s the best thing to do; it’s the heart of the grower, his most special sites.”
Grape variety
Langmann believes the single vineyard focus is well suited to his own region’s specialities, Sauvignon Blanc and Schilcher. “For me the dream would be in 10 to 15 years just to have Ried Greisdorf on the label, not Sauvignon Blanc,” he said of his single vineyard expression. However, Langmann conceded that, for now at least, such a move would run against the flow of customer demand. “In Austria and all our export markets they are looking for grape variety,” he acknowledged.
While few producers attempt to rock the cheap and cheerful image of Weststeiermark’s signature rosé style – “only 5% make serious Schilcher” suggested Langmann – he uses a single vineyard expression as a mark of higher ambition.
“I think the grape fits perfectly with this area to make the best wine from this variety,” maintained Langmann. “For me Schilcher is my heartbeat, it’s 65% of my production. To show the serious face of this grape variety is the most important thing we can do for our region.”
A more detailed look at Austrian single vineyards will appear in April’s issue of
the drinks business.
