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Austria has
a winegrowing history that goes back to the time of the Romans,
who planted vines there over 2,000 years ago. Eventually the
Romans lost interest in such far flung outposts, but the
winemaking tradition stuck and flourished. Subsequent invasions
by the hordes, most notably by the Turks, ending in 1683,
resulted in the Viennese discovering coffee beans left
behind by the retreating troops. Thus Vienna soon became the
coffee capital of the world, which was no doubt helped by their
invention of the crescent roll (croissant), a bitter-sweet
homage to the crescent symbol of its now departed invaders. By that time Austria
already had 1,700 years of wine experience. Add another 300
years of wine experience, and voila: Austrian wines of
distinction! No wine fan should be without some acquaintance
with wines from the land of mountains, history and Mozart. |
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Three Austrian Wines You Must Try:
- Grüner
Veltliner - or Gru-Vee as it is known in New
York's finest restaurants: (exclusive Austrian white wine
that is consistently rated to be better than the World's
finest Chardonnays).
- Sauvignon
Blanc (we've all had superb French and New Zealander SBs,
but have one from the birthplace of Mozart and Strauss and
make your heart sing).
-
Chardonnay (darling wine, no? Well check out the
Austrians. They're an eye-opening experience of finesse and
class).
Modern Austria
has 51,000 hectares of vineyards, and thousands of wine
producers. The wine regions are concentrated in the East of the
country. The following federal states are winegrowing regions:
- Lower Austria
(Niederösterreich) -31,350 ha
- Burgenland - 15,650 ha
- Styria (Steiermark) - 3,700 ha
Each of these regions has several
official wine areas. Notable wine areas in Niederösterreich
include Kamptal, Kremstal, and Wachau. These areas are famous
for their Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Styria (Steiermark)
has made a name for itself by producing some of the world's best
Sauvignon Blanc.
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Three of
Austria's coolest wine areas:
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