Armed with a glass and a single question, Michael Huband spoke to those on the ground at London’s Austrian Tasting to discover what is exciting them in the industry.
What might you learn from a room full of Austrian wine? It is a simple enough question, with visitors to February’s Austrian Wine Tasting in London able to taste through more than 100 producers.
So certainly anyone looking to calibrate their sensitivity to Grüner Veltliner (WSET students, take heed) would be in luck. The tasting also served as an advert for Austria’s recent focus on extensive regional mapping and
precise vineyard designations, with many producers showcasing a clear hierarchy of terroir-focused bottlings.
It also offered the chance to speak to winemakers and distributors about where they see the industry in 2025. I took a deeply unscientific method – grabbing producers when I could, and asking each ‘What is most exciting to you about Austrian wine in 2025?’ – to see if overall themes emerged.
Among the individual winery-specific perspectives, here are the three ideas that came up again and again.
All in the family
If one word came up more than any other, it had to be ‘family’. In some ways, that was a surprise – the concept of a family does not come with the glitz of new technology or the ‘cool factor’ of a trending variety. Yet many producers’ first comment was that a sense of family is still the most exciting thing about Austrian wine.
That is literal, in that Austria has a strong tradition of family-owned and run wineries. While there has been a shift over the last 30 years towards larger producers, the industry is still structured around relatively small estates. The average size is 4.35 hectares, meaning the industry still has space for small and medium-sized family wineries.
Yet for several producers, the family ethos is not a relic, but rather a route towards innovation. As Viktoria Preiß, winemaker at fifth-generation Traisental estate Weinkultur Preiß highlighted, wineries in Austria often hand over the reins to the next generation relatively early. By keeping the winery in the family, producers can train up their next winemaker by the time they are in their twenties.
This seems to keep the balance between Austria's heritage and a forward-facing attitude. “On the one hand,” said Preiß, “it has this long tradition but on the other hand there’s a young winemaking scene that’s really innovative.”
Diana Müller, of Weingut Müller in Kremstal, is a fine example of the family ethos in operation. She is responsible for the producer’s exports, but also assists in winemaking and quality control: a self-declared all-rounder. She echoed Preiß’ comments: “There’s a new generation coming into Austrian wine, especially young female winemakers.
Moreover, several producers spoke of the tight-knit community among Austrian winemakers. That fostered a sense that it was ‘familial’, according to one, even when not in the literal sense.
Down to earth winemaking
As one of the subtitles of the event, it is little surprise that the phrase ‘down to earth’ cropped up. It came, however, with connotations that explain why producers are so excited to promote that facet of Austrian wine.
“It is underestimated because it is very down to earth,” summarised Cristina Kollwentz, winemaker at the namesake family estate in Burgenland alongside her father, Andi. That humility came up from several others at the tasting, with producers mentioning the accessibility and hospitality of winemakers, as well as their lack of pretension.
“It’s low-key from the off,” said Camilla Josefsson, whose company Wine of Austria helps businesses source Austrian wines. She highlighted how winemakers stay close to their agricultural roots and how, for instance, traditional family restaurants thrive as examples of down to earth hospitality. The lack of pretence fed into her answer for the most exciting aspect of Austrian wine: its keen price to quality ratio.
Down to earth, however, also became a literal reference point as several producers highlighted Austria's sustainability credentials. It has a strong history with, for example, Rudolf Steiner developing his biodynamic principles there 100 years ago. Nowadays,
24% of Austrian vineyards are certified organic and 27% have sustainability certification.
Most producers at the tasting gladly spoke about their sustainability journey. Many proudly wore the green leaf symbol denoting organic produce.
Yet it caused no fanfare from producers. Indeed, several stated that the sustainable practices so praised elsewhere in the winemaking world are simply commonplace in Austria. This seems particularly true for members of the younger generation, who might complete harvests around the world in their training. As Kollwentz, commented: “You go abroad, and what seems special there is normal to us.”
Benefits of tradition
Again, if not the most immediately flashy subject, several producers mentioned Austria's wealth of viticultural traditions. Perhaps, for a country that has had to rebuild fundamentally since the scandals of the 1980s, emphasising its heritage can connect Austrian wine with quality in the consumer’s mind.
“Variety” was the one-word answer to my headline question from Auguszta Cseri, part of the export team at cooperative Domäne Wachau. “A lot of people know so little about Austrian wine production, but we have the full range within just one country.”
International grapes naturally formed part of the tasting’s variety – among others, I had the chance to sample bright, steely Riesling and rich, oak-influenced Chardonnay – but there was a notable focus on the autochthonous varieties that give Austria its USP.
Kollwentz, for instance, spoke about foregrounding Blaufränkisch rather than international Cabernet Sauvignon in the winery’s red blend, giving a more distinctive character. Cseri, meanwhile, shared with several winemakers the mission to prove Grüner Veltliner’s ageworthiness, extolling: “This has the same potential as Riesling.”
In fact, the resources of terroir and varieties can lead producers to trust tradition rather than chase trends. Müller summarised it succinctly: “The only bosses we have are the vineyard and the wine.”
And, while global consumers could still discover more about Austrian wine, she had no desire to adjust for novelty’s sake alone. She offered one piece of advice that applies to far more of Austria’s well-established, small-scale wineries than just her own: “Never change a winning team.”
