Wine-producing region special feature "Austria"

About Austrian Wine

Austria is a country located in Central Europe , south of Germany. It was the Habsburg Empire for 650 years, but its borders have changed many times throughout history, and the people who inhabit it have also changed.

Austria is at the same latitude as Burgundy and has a cool climate . Especially in summer, the days are hot and the nights are cool, creating a favorable temperature difference for grape growth, resulting in fresh-tasting wines.

In Austria, organic farming has developed rapidly since the 1990s, and now over 20% of farmland is organic.

The wines are mainly crisp white wines, and the area is characterized by a large number of small-scale producers. The younger generation, such as the Diwald and Mantler families of Mavi, are emerging and are enthusiastic about producing high-quality wines.

• Austrian wine highlights
• Mavi Austrian Wine Producers
• Enjoy Austrian wine and gourmet food

Austrian wine highlights

1. Organically advanced country

Austria has promoted organic farming as a national policy, and over 20% of the country's farmland is organic.

2. Crisp white wine

Austrian wine is characterised by crisp white wines made from local varieties such as Grüner Veltliner.

3. Heuriger Culture

In Austria, the new wine of the year is called "Heurige," and there is a Heurige culture in which wine farmers serve their homemade wine in their yards or other places.

4. Perfect match with Japanese food

Austria's crisp white wines go perfectly with Japanese food such as tempura and sushi.

• 1. Organically advanced country
• 2. Crisp white wine
• 3. Heuriger Culture
• 4. Perfect match with Japanese food

1. Organically advanced country

Austria is a leader in organic farming, with approximately 20% of the country's farmland being organic .

Organic agriculture in Austria grew rapidly from the late 1990s through to the 2000s after Austria joined the EU in 1995. As Austria entered the international market, it turned to organic farming as a way to differentiate itself from other EU countries and protect its domestic agriculture and economy.

As the government officially acknowledged the harm of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and made nationwide efforts to promote organic farming, awareness of organic farming quickly spread among farmers and the general public.

Although the wine industry was a little late in starting, it has grown rapidly since 2005 , and now not only small producers but also major winemakers are producing organic wine.

For more information, click here → Representative Tamura's visit to Austria

2. Austrian wine varieties and crisp white wines

Austria, located at the same latitude as Burgundy, has a relatively cool climate and produces many white wines with beautiful acidity and crispness , mainly using local varieties such as Grüner Veltliner .

Red wine accounts for around 30% of the total and includes varieties such as Zweigelt.

Also attractive are sweet wines such as Beerenauslese , made from late-harvested grapes that have a concentrated sweetness, and ice wine.
Austrian wine had disappeared from the international community after the wine scandal of 1985 (in which illegal additives were found to have been added to wine to make it sweeter), but since then the country has created wine laws that are considered to be the strictest in the world and has been working to improve the quality of its own wine.

Originally, production volumes were not very high and most of the wine was consumed locally, but in recent years , young producers who have learned the latest wine-making techniques both domestically and abroad have been emerging. By combining organically grown grapes with the skills of passionate producers, a large number of high-quality wines are being produced, and international popularity is growing.

3. Heuriger Culture

During the new wine season in Austria, simple taverns called "Heuriger" where you can drink home-made wine on the porch of a wine farm become bustling.

Heuriger originally meant " new wine of that year ," but now it has come to refer to all taverns where winemakers serve their own wine along with food in their own gardens, etc. Most meals are self-service, and the main snacks served are processed meats such as ham and sausages that can be cut simply by cutting them, pickles, and raw vegetables.

The wine served at a Heuriger is freshly brewed. It is served in a 1/4L mug rather than a wine glass. On hot days, you can see people enjoying spritzers, which are wine mixed with carbonated water, and at a Heuriger you can enjoy wine in a casual atmosphere.

Heuriger began in 1789 when the then Emperor Joseph II granted special permission to wine farmers, and in 2019 it was registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO and is an essential part of Austria's wine culture.

4. Perfect match with Japanese food

Austrian white wines, with their clean acidity and crisp taste, are like cold-brewed sake. They go perfectly with Japanese food such as sushi and tempura. Their red wines are not too heavy, so they go perfectly with stews such as meat and potatoes.

One of the features of Austrian wine is that it goes extremely well with Japanese food and is easy to consume on an everyday basis.

↑Back to the top of this page

Mavi Austrian Wine Producers

Diwald family/Lower Austria (Wagram)

Weingut Dywald

The Diwald family makes wine in the town of Wagram, about an hour's drive from the capital, Vienna.

The current owner, Martin, is a passionate young man who travelled to Austria and even New Zealand to study winemaking, and from the age of 21 he was put in charge of all winemaking at the Diwald family home .

Organic farming became popular in Austria in the late 1990s, but Martin's father, Hans, had been practicing organic farming since 1980. It all started when he saw his child about to eat some corn from the field and he quickly stopped him, thinking, "I don't want my child to eat the vegetables I grew." At the time there was no understanding of organic farming at all, and he faced strong opposition from those around him, so it was a tough start.

However, Hans's position has changed dramatically since the government began to work on organic farming nationwide. In Austria, there is a course that you have to take before you can start organic farming, and Hans has been a lecturer for this course ever since it was established.

Due to the landscape law, the brewery's exterior has been left as is, but the interior has been updated to the latest standards. The wines produced in this clean brewery have a fresh, crisp taste.

>>Go to the list of Diwald family wines

Mantler family/Lower Austria (Krems)

Mantlerhof

The Mantler family's vineyards are located in the sunny hills overlooking the Danube. Sepp, the previous owner, was a theorist and romantic , and decided to switch to organic farming after the flooding caused by the Danube overflowing in 2002. He believed that if they continued with conventional farming using pesticides, industrial agriculture would collapse due to monoculture (a form of agriculture that produces a single crop, which is feared to pose risks such as the loss of biodiversity) and soil deterioration. After switching to organic farming, he was satisfied with being able to become more part of nature as farmers, and with the increased expressiveness of his wines .

Currently, the children's generation has taken over the winery and are working together to make wine.

Although the Mantler family produces Gruner Veltliner wines from different vineyards, they offer a lineup that allows you to enjoy a wide variety of flavors, from fresh wines to full-bodied wines that can be aged for a long time.

>>See the Mantler family wine list

↑Back to the top of this page

Enjoy Austrian wine and gourmet food

Austria's borders have changed many times throughout history, and the ethnic groups that inhabit it have changed , so these influences are clearly evident in its food culture. For example, it is said that schnitzel, made with thinly pounded meat, was introduced from Milan, and goulash, a beef stew, was introduced from Hungary.

Each region has its own distinctive local cuisine, but in Vienna in particular , during the reign of the Habsburgs, various ethnic cuisines developed at court and in the city , giving birth to many of the Viennese dishes that we know today.
Vienna also has a thriving sweets and cafe culture , with cafes dotting the city, such as the Kondetrei, which has a cake shop attached. Famous cakes include Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel (apple pie).

↑Back to the top of this page

Recommended Austrian wines

Austrian wine list

Recommended popular wines

• Fresh and refreshing

  
  

• Red for Chinese food

  
  

• Lovely fruit flavour

  
  

• Fresh & Fruity

  
  

• Great value for money! 1L red

  
  

• Unique orange wine

  
  

• A sophisticated Chardonnay

  
  

• A special white wine

  
  

• Highly satisfying 1L bottle

  
  

• Superior dry white wine

  
  

• Precious white wine

  
  

• Superb sweetness [half size]

  
  

↑ Top of page ｜ Search for products ｜ Featured items ｜ MAVI mail order TOP