Austria

Austria is small, with barely 0.5% of its land covered in grapevines, but the country has contributed significant innovation and creativity to the wine world, from viticulture to stemware. In its more recent history, Austria’s industry was marked by the 1985 “antifreeze” scandal. Though the practice of sweetening wines with diethylene glycol, or DEG, hardly represented the majority of Austrian winemakers, all were implicated. Impressively, the industry banded together over the following years and developed stricter regulations and practices. Today, Austria has not only redeemed its reputation, but its wine industry is recognized for a proportionately high level of quality and rigorous standards. Pioneers from the last century have paved the way for today’s set of bright winemakers, many of whom are bringing excitement and originality to lesser-touted pockets throughout the country.

History of Austria

Cultivation of Vines

Geographically central, Austria has been a thoroughfare for many civilizations throughout history. The Hallstatt culture of the Late Bronze Age through the early Iron Age (1200–500 BCE), among the earliest of Celtic peoples, was first to significantly settle this area, landing just southeast of what is today Salzburg. Salt mines in the region allowed this group to prosper, producing over a ton of salt per day and supplying over half of Europe. Artifacts discovered here, such as bronze ornaments and sword handles made of African ivory, suggest significant wealth. As the tribe grew and became more sophisticated, a wine culture developed. Art and other remnants dated between 600 and 400 BCE signal more frequent wine consumption and a stratification of society, as the Hallstatt tribes were dominated by the fiercer La Tène Celts.

The first record