Wine from Niederösterreich
Austria’s Largest Wine Region
Niederösterreich, which is otherwise known as Lower Austria, is one of the four broader wine regions in the country.
This region is present in the northeast part of the country, bordering the neighbor countries (Slovakia and the Czech Republic) is known to be the largest quality wine producer in Austria.
Overall, this designation is found to be representing a wide variety of wine styles being produced from both indigenous, as well as international grape varieties.
All these facts make Niederösterreich an important wine region in the world’s wine map and as wine lovers, it gives us great pleasure learning about the region.
Let’s try to do this now. Learn about this significant wine region of Austria here…
Niederösterreich Region and its Sub-Regions
As mentioned above, Niederösterreich is the largest wine producer in the country, which is responsible for nearly half of the country’s total wine production.
Geographically, this region covers 8 of 16 official wine regions, which are namely,
- Wachau
- Carnuntum
- Kremstal DAC
- Kamptal DAC
- Thermenregion
- Wagram
- Traisental DAC
- Weinvertel DAC
As such, each of these sub-regions of Niederösterreich is known to be producing its own wine styles and types.
As one can see above, the sub-regions of Niederösterreich includes four official DAC wine regions for the quality wine production.
All these sub-regions are producing wines from the Grüner Veltliner or Riesling, although these are not the only grape varieties found in these regions.
In addition to the above sub-divisions, the entire Niederösterreich has also been divided into three climatic zones.
These zones are:
Weinviertel in the north
The region along the River Danube with its valleys to the west of Vienna Pannonian part in the southeast
Thus, the single largest wine sub-region in Niederösterreich, Weinvertel, is found to be experiencing a cool and dry climate.
This type of climate is significant in retaining the acidity, as well as the freshness in the wines. The second climatic zone includes Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, and Thermenregion.
These regions are found to be experiencing a moderate climate. The third climatic zone includes Carnuntum, which is a warmer part, which is suitable for the cultivation of red grapes.
Topography and Climate in Niederösterreich
Provided the large size of the Niederösterreich region, there is no wonder that the terroir is largely diverse.
Thus, one can find the flat, loess-dominated terroir, as well as the steep, terraced terroir here.
Therefore, the winegrowers of the region have to be careful in choosing their vineyard site if they want to get the most of the terroir.
When it comes to overall climatic conditions of Niederösterreich, the region is found to be receiving warming influences from the Pannonian plains during the daytime.
This influence is contributing to the daytime heat here. These higher temperatures are found to be moderated by the cooler evenings with the influences from Waldviertel.
Due to these climatic patterns, several districts in the state are found to be experiencing hotter days followed by cooler nights.
This diurnal temperature differences would mean that the grapes of the region are able to develop finer aromas when at the same time being able to retain their acidity levels.
Wine Grapes of Niederösterreich
As mentioned earlier, Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are the key grape varieties of the region.
Of these, Grüner Veltliner is the most cultivated variety, which is accounting for almost 44% of the region’s wine grape production.
Besides these, the other grape varieties that are dominating the vineyards of Niederösterreich are as follows:
- Roter Veltliner
- Pinot Noir
- Zweigelt
- Blaufränkisch
- Chardonnay
- Saint-Laurent
- Welschriesling
Tharani Rajamanickam
Winewriter
I am Tharani, I have Bachelors degree in Biotechnology. I am passionate about the wine industry and continue to explore, learn and share and I bring in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help you keep updated with best wines in the world. Stay tuned..
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