Austrian wine and the country's wine regions are our biggest 2025 travel tips for serious vino lovers!
We sat down with Annemarie Foidl, the president of the Austrian sommelier association and the current Austrian Sekt ambassador, and she shared all her knowledge and top Austrian wine tips with us.
Who is Annemarie Foidl?
Annemarie has been the official Sommelier president of the Sommelier Union Austria since 2008. She holds a certified master sommelier diploma. Furthermore, she also became the ambassador for Sekt Austria in 2023.
It all started for Annemarie when she took over the alpine Angerer Alm mountain lodge and restaurant in St. Johann in Tirol. She was then only 19 years old, which, in turn, earned her the title of youngest innkeeper in Austria.
The 250-year-old mountain hut nestled at 4200 feet (1,300 m) in the Tyrolean Alps has been Annemarie's creative outlet. Together with her family, she has been creating an authentic gourmet food and wine experience.
Our visit to this charming Alm was topped by a tour to her seemingly hidden and awe-inspiring underground wine cellar.
Annemarie addressed all our questions and shared her detailed knowledge about Austrian wine below. This serves as an introduction to Austrian wine and also as an enlightenment to this age-old wine region.
What are the Austrian wine regions?
Wine was already cultivated in these lands when the Celts ruled, but the Romans took it all to a whole new level during their rule.
Today, less than 1% of the global wine production is owned by Austria, and only ¼ is exported globally. Yet, the wines from this small country have been garnering a lot more attention in the last years, all thanks to the established high-quality standards.
Austria's wines are grown and harvested in 4 regions in Eastern Europe. These are known as the wine growing regions, and they include, Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, and Styria.
The remaining 5 regions in Western Austria are mountainous and produce minimal quantities of wine.
Lower Austria (aka Niederösterreich)
The largest wine region in Austria, Lower Austria, has been recognized for its prized wines. The Danube River flows through this state, and a fantastic view of the wine terraces makes this region a beautiful sight.
Lower Austria is the cradle for white grape varieties such as Grüner Veltliner. Each area produces a different wine style true to the region's soul and flow.
The 8 areas include:
- Wachau — The wines are divided into three categories: Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd. (Please see explanation in the terms further below)
- Kremstal
- Kamptal DAC
- Traisental DAC
- Wagram
- Weinviertel DAC
- Carnuntum
- Thermenregion
Vienna
Viennese wines are known for a special wine blend called Gemischtersatz. These wines contain a mixed blend of white wine varieties grown and harvested within the capital boundaries.
Grape varieties grown here include Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Welschriesling, Pino Blanc and Traminer.
Burgenland
Burgenland is described as the sunny state of Austria, and it borders Hungary. Here you will find not only white wines but also full-bodied red wines. The region specializes in high quality Prädikatswein, which are sweet wine varieties.
Here you will mostly find Zweigelt, Pinot Blanc, Blaufränkisch, Grüner Veltliner, Neuburger and Chardonnay grape varieties.
The four Burgendland wine growing areas are:
- Neusiedlersee DAC
- Leithaberg DAC
- Mittelburgenland DAC
- Eisenberg DAC
Styria (aka Steiermark)
Styria is known for its stunning rolling green hills and unparalleled landscapes. Here the vineyards grow sweet Mukateller, Welschriesling, Chardonnay (called Morillon), Pinot Blanc, Traminer and Sauvignon Blanc.
The state is split into 3 major wine regions:
- Vulkanland Steiermark
- Südsteiermark
- Weststeiermark (Schilcherland)
Which grape varieties are grown in Austria?
Currently, Austria authorizes the use of 26 white grape varieties and 14 red grape types.
Most wines contain lower tannins and are therefore great with most foods. Nonetheless, you will also find rich, full-bodied red wines, such as the Blaufränkisch in Austria.
The permitted list of grape varieties of Austria has been extended over the years.
Here are the grape varieties grown on Austrian soil and their country of origin.
White Wine
- Grüner Veltliner — Austrian
- Welschriesling — North Italian
- Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc, Klevner) — France
- Riesling — Germany
- Chardonnay (aka Morillon) — France
- Sauvignon Blanc — France
- Neuburger — Austria
- Müller-Thurgau — Germany
- Frühroter Veltliner — Austria
- Muskateller — Southern Europe
- Traminer — Italy
- Muskat Ottonel — France
- Scheurebe (aka Sämling 88)
- Roter Veltliner — Austria
- Goldburger — Austria
- Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder) — France
- Bouvier — Austria
- Sylvaner — Austria
- Furmint — Hungary
- Jubiläumsrebe — Austria
- Rotgipfler — Austria
- Zierfandler (aka Spätrot) — Austria
- Blütenmuskateller — Russia
- Goldmuskateller — Italy
- Souvignier Gris — Germany
- Wiener Gemischter Satz — Field blend and actually not a grape variety, but wine Austria has added it to the list.
Red Wine
- Zweigelt — Austria
- Blaufränkisch — Austria
- Blauer Portugieser — Austria
- Blauburger — Austria
- Blauer Wildbacher — Austria
- Cabernet Sauvignon — France
- Merlot — France
- St. Laurent — Austria
- Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder) — France
- Syrah - France
- Rosenmuskateller (Muscat Rose à Petits Grains) — Greece
- Rathay — Austria
- Cabernet Franc — France
- Roesler — Austria
What's Sekt?
Sekt is Austria's sparkling wine. It is protected by a designation of origin label. Look out for Sekt g.U, which means Sekt mit geschützter Ursprungsbezeichnung in German, on a Sekt bottle label.
Annemarie was named Austria's Sekt Ambassador in October 2023, and she aims to introduce Austrian quality Sekt to the rest of the world.
3 major level-based Sekt qualities and categories have been defined.
Klassik Sekt — Unrestricted use of methods to produce sparkling wine, but the grapes need to be from a single federal state. These bubbly wines get to mature for at least 9 months. This is a lighter, sweet sparkling wine.
Reserve Sekt — Here, grapes are allowed to be harvested and further processed in one federal state. Bottle fermentation as per tradition is the norm and a minimum of 18 months is set for a finished Sekt product.
Grosse Reserve — The most prestigious Austrian Sekt. Grapes for the grosse reserve Sekt are harvested and produced in a single municipality. Only the traditional bottle fermentation is permitted, with a minimum of 30 month maturation period.
Just like all quality sparkling wines in Europe, reserve and grosse reserve tend to have acid and more refined flavor profiles.
What are Prädikatsweine?
Prädikatsweine are distinctive late harvest wine varieties, prepared as per the Qualitätswein guidelines. These wines require a special harvesting and preparation method, and the wines are each ripened at a set sugar level.
They are naturally sweet thanks to the way they are produced, and the wine color tends to be orange. They are served as dessert wines.
Lower production volumes, special methods, climate, grape varieties and the old know-how make these highly sought after wines traded as expensive rarities in the international market.
Essentially, Austrian winemakers produce 6 subgroups of Prädikatsweine and each is required to be naturally sweet as per set laws. This includes:
Spätlese — This uses only fully ripened grapes with a 19° KMW. It's the lightest of the late harvest wines.
Auslese — Carefully selected fully ripened grapes with a minimum of 21° KMW* (KMW definition is the wine terms below) can be labeled Auslese.
Beerenauslese — Very overripe and grapes affected with noble rot (the botrytis fungus) are used to make this wine. The KMW is set at 25° as a minimum. These deep golden wine is left to ripen further in bottles over years and decades.
Eiswein — A Eiswein is prepared with naturally frozen grapes. The grapes are left on the vine to freeze up until January and even February, and the minimum temperature has to be 19 Fahrenheit (ca. -7 degree Celsius). Thanks to warmer winters, the risk of losing a harvest is high. Furthermore, the pressing of frozen berries results in a smaller yield, making this sweet wine a highly sought after specialty.
Strohwein/Schilfwein — ripe grapes are dried for at least 3 months on straw or even on reed found around the Neusiedl lake in the Burgenland area. Occasionally, the grapes are also air dried tied to strings. Raisin-like grapes are sweet and this drives the KMW up, so the set minimum here is 25° KMW.
Trockenbeereauslese — Also called TBA, produces the sweetest Prädikatswein. Selected grapes are left to shrink and literally rot with noble rot (a fungus). Misty filled environments around the villages of Rust, St. Margarethen and Illmitz around the Neusiedlersee lake in Burgendland create a beneficial milieu for the fungus to flourish. This wine requires a minimum of 30° KMW, and it's one of the rarest, most sought after dessert wines.
Austrian wine terms
Here are some Austrian wine terms that you might find handy. They may appear on a wine label, in a wine description, on a wine menu, or during a wine tour.
| Term | Explanation |
| Sommelier | In the traditional sense, a sommelier is a trained wine professional whose job is to help you pair food with the suitable drink to elevate your experience. In modern times, the role of a sommelier has expanded, and beer, spirits, and cocktails have been added to the profession. |
| DAC | DAC is the protected designation of origin for Austrian wine. It indicated the wine quality of a geographical region. DAC in Austria is equal to AOC in France or g. U. in Germany. This way, the European Union in general has been able to offer protection of the reputation of various regional food and drink products. DAC is the Latin short form for Districtus Austriae Contollatus. |
| Ried | An added label term used to describe DAC single-vineyard wines. |
| *KMW | KMW means Klosterneuburg must weigh the scale. It was developed in the iconic wine town of Klosterneuburg (next to Vienna) to help measure sugar content. It's the defined weight of sugar in grams for every 100 grams of grape must. In Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, they use the Oechsle scale, and in France and the US, they use the Baumé scale to measure the sugar content in fruit must. |
| Gemischter Satz | A traditional method in Vienna. Various types of grapes are grown, harvested, and turned into wine from a field blend. This can include Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Welschriesling, Pinot Blanc, Klevner, and Traminer. |
| Sekt | Austrian sparkling wine. Please see the Sekt definition and types in the Sekt section. |
| Perlwein or Schaumwein | Sparkling wine variations, which are not Sekt. These are fruity and contain less alcohol. |
| Trocken Wein | Trocken Wein means "dry wine." Austrian dry white wine is the default, all thanks to the warm climate. Trocken Wein is the least sweet wine. |
| Halbtrocken | Semi dry wine. |
| Lieblich | A little sweeter than Halbtrocken but less sweet than Süss. |
| Süss | Sweet Wine. |
| Sturm | Partially fermented grape must. Fermented, freshly pressed grape juice containing a minimum of 1% alcohol, which isn't wine yet. It is also known as Federweiss in Germany. Reminiscent of a refreshing cooled lemonade, Sturm can only be sold between 1st August and 31st December in Austria. Once bought, it has to be consumed quickly because it doesn't keep well, and you typically get it in the wine-growing regions. |
| Heuriger | A Heuriger is this year's wine, but in Vienna, it also means a wine tavern that produces its own wine. |
| Junge Österreicher or Steirische Junker | A new or the first wine of a vintage hitting the market in fall. |
| Schilcher | A wine from Styria from the grape type, Blauer Wildbacher. This is an ancient regional grape variety that dates back to the Celts. |
| Bergwein | Wine from a vineyard located on mountain slopes. |
| Staubiger | A young, still cloudy wine. |
| Steinfeder | One of the three wine categories in the Wachau Valley. Steinfeder wines, named after the European feather grass, are aromatic, light, and have an alcohol volume of 11.5%. |
| Federspiel | The second Wachau Valley wine type. Federspiel is a classic wine with a volume of 12.5%. |
| Smaragd | Smaragd wines are the third type of Wachau Valley wines, and this is the highest quality. These are reserve wines with a volume of 13.0%. |
| Reserve | Aged cellar wine of higher quality. |
| Buschenschanken | In other wine regions in Austria, Heuriger are called Buschenschanken. Only a wine grower is allowed to open up a Buschenschanken tavern. These special wine taverns are fun hangout places that usually open at later times of the day. They serve their wine only and typical regional meat and cheese plate specialties. |
| Qualitätswein | First grade wines. A designation given only to wines produced with one, or a combination thereof, of the permitted 36 grape varieties. Permitted grape varieties include local grape types, as well as other European varieties. These labeled quality wines in Austria are required to be grown in an Austrian wine-growing region, and they are rigorously controlled in the one and only Austrian federal wine laboratory. A red-white-red label in the colors of the national flag is placed on the bottle cap, which is the official indication for a Qualitätswein in Austria. |
| Landwein | Second-grade Austrian wines but still of a higher quality. Landwein wines are made with grapes typical to the wine growing region. |
| Ausbruch | Grapes with noble rot literally break open when they are overripe, and Ausbruch in German means "to break open." Today, only TBA (Trockenbeereauslese) type wines can be called Ausbruch when they were produced in the small city of Rust. |
| Handgelesen | The grapes are collected by hand, without machines. |
Annemarie's Austrian Wine Recommendations
What's your Austrian sweet wine recommendation for 2025?
Alois Kracher from the Kracher Winery in Burgenland has been producing fruity, top-notch sweet wines.
Which Austrian wines are great with Spicy Food?
Pick a dry white wine, but a wee bit sweet, Traminer, Riesling or Grüner Veltliner to go with your spicy food. Fresh white wines, or a delightful Rose, complement spiced meals beautifully. Avoid anything above 12% alcohol contents, lighter wines are preferred and are the better choice.
Which Austrian wines to serve with special occasion meals (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter)?
Select full-bodied, tannin-rich red or white wines to go with your turkey roasts, baked fish, and beef wellington. That includes Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt, St.Laurent, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
Can you recommend an Austrian Rosé wine?
Rosé wines in Austria are DAC-protected, high-quality non-blended wines. Try to get hold of a Rosé from the Bründlmayer vineyard or from the Dürnberg winery.
What are some affordable wines from Austria?
You can find affordable wines from €5 onwards, with a good Grüner Veltliner set between €7 and €10. These can also be found in the famous Domaine Wachau or in the Weinviertel. Two Austrian vintners that come to mind are Prugmaier and Scheiblhofer.
What's your favorite grape and wine type?
I love a good chilled Grüner Veltliner or a glass of Sekt made in Austria.
What's your Austrian Sekt recommendation for 2025?
Can you recommend a good Austrian wine to make Glühwein mulled wine?
Pick a red wine with fewer tannins because traditionally a Glühwein needs to sit with spices without the addition of water. Both Zweigelt and St.Laurent makes for an excellent Glühwein wine.
Have you lately observed some wine consumer trends?
Wines with lower alcohol content have been more appreciated lately. Incidentally, lesser tannins are in demand.
Recommended Wine Tours and Events
Vivinum — The international wine festival held between the 25th to the 27th at the Hofburg palace in Vienna.
Austrian Sekt Day — Held yearly on the 22nd of October. Sekt cellars organize an open day, and you can visit them.
Links to More Specific Austrian Wine Information
- Organic wine in Austria and why Austria is the leader of the movement
- Sustainable Austria, the wine quality seal
- Stay up to date with Austrian wine culture thanks to the international version of the Austrian Falstaff magazine.
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