The northerly winemaking regions of Germany straddle the 50th parallel and are amongst the world’s coolest vineyards.
Nonetheless, vine cultivation dates to the ancient world—wild vines had been growing on the upper Rhine previously, but Vitis vinifera arrived in Germany with the Romans. Near the end of the 3rd century, Emperor Probus overturned Domitian’s 92 CE ban on new vineyard plantings, and viticulture followed the Romans into provinces north of the Alps. By the fourth century winemaking was definitively established along the steep slopes of the Mosel River. Charlemagne, the legendary beard-stained lover of wine—whose newly minted Carolingian calendar replaced the Roman October with Windume-Manoth, “the month of the vintage”—introduced vine cultivation east of the Rhine River in the late eighth century. During the Middle Ages, the Church was instrumental in shepherding the development of vineyards, and many of Germany’s modern einzellagen (vineyards) owe their nomenclature to monastic influence. As in France, the Church essentially operated its own feudal economy: it collected a tithe, or tax, from the parishioners who worked the vineyards, and wine made a suitable substitute for cash. The Cistercians of Burgundy founded the famous Kloster Eberbach monastery in the Rheingau in 1136, where they amassed the largest vineyard holdings in Europe by the end of the Middle Ages, with over 700 acres of vines. The walled Steinberg vineyard, an ortsteil within the commune of Hattenheim, was the monks’ centerpiece and remains wholly intact today—an alleinbesitz (monopole) of Kloster Eberbach for over eight centuries
Does anyone else find it strange that the 2 wine regions that Austria is most known for (arguably) are not classified as DAC? I'm sure there is a logical explanation that I cant seem to locate...
This pretty much nails it with regard to the Wachau but misses the why... Political pressure on the Wachau producers is what is pushing them (kicking and screaming) to join the DAC system. Essentially, Austria won't (or can't?) protect "Wachau" as a PDO without DAC because the traditional regional designations only qualify as PGI. I think many Wachau producers would be happy to "break" the DAC system. They don't like the system anyway precisely because it focuses on too few varietals and that's really not how Wachau (or Austria) has traditionally classified and labelled wines. I tend to agree with the producers and certainly do not want to see Hirtzberger's Neuburger, Prager's Chardonnay, or Rudi Pichler's Weissburgunder not be able to say Wachau on the label. They want a system that explains and protects all of their wines, rather than trying to force them to change what they grow and make.
On the assumption that the other referenced appellation is indeed Rust, the reasons are somewhat related. With regards to "Ruster Ausbruch," they don't need the DAC. It's defined as a "traditional expression" and a local synonym of TBA and is thus already protected and limited to the village of Rust. Blaufränkisch from several important producers, most notably Ernst Triebaumer, is the other major category of wines for Rust. These wines are labelled simply as "Burgenland" or "Rust im Burgenland." I don't think this bothers anyone since many top Burgenland producers already choose to label Blaufränkisch that way for a variety of reasons, even when it qualifies for one of the DACs. Most winemakers produce wines from multiple varieties in much the same way as Wachau and, by using the generic designation, all of their wines can carry the same appellation.
Much like the Spanish Pagos, the DAC system is well-intentioned, but really problematic. When only a handful of a dozen wines from
Assuming you mean here Rust and Wachau?
I can't speak to Rust, but here's the skinny on why Wachau isn't a DAC yet: give it a second. I was there end of May this year (2019) and was told by a few different producers that the legislation is already written and was submitted to the relevant panels but withdrawn last minute over some disagreements between growers. The Wachau producers seem by and large happy with the legislation as it stands but wanted to get near unanimous consensus as a region before making it final (and consequently much more difficult to change).
Outside the Wachau there is some sharp criticism levied at the Wachau's legislative proposal as it would allow (admittedly only under lower quality designations) 17 different grapes to bear "Wachau DAC" on the label. That part of the legislation is written both for inclusivity among the regions growers and to keep things from becoming a total gruner/riesling monoculture. On the other hand, at the upper levels of quality and especially for the riedenwein only Gruner and Riesling would be permitted (as everyone expects).
The issue (as recounted to me by producers outside the Wachau): the DAC system was originally conceived on a par with French AOCs - a particular grape, style, and place; the Wachau proposal, by authorizing (even if only at basic quality levels) 17 different grapes with geographic designation in essence overturns the entire theory behind the DAC system to date, working more along the GI model common in the new world. The concern in the rest of Austria is that if the gate is opened to that model within the DAC system the whole thing will eventually break down, much like the DOCG system in Italy did (more or less) in 2011 (even though the cracks were apparent as early as the '80s).
Thus have I heard, at least - hope it helps. Willi Klinger, at least, at his final Austrian Wine Summit, said that he expected the Wachau DAC to be finalised in 2020 and take effect with