Challenge Yourself: Drink More Austrian Wine. Here's Why

Austria accounts for only one percent of worldwide wine production, so it’s not as well known as wine from powerhouses like France, Italy, or Argentina. You’ll see relatively little Austrian wine in an American wine shop or on an American restaurant wine list, and if you do it will likely feature Gruner Veltliner, the white wine that is the country’s flagship and most planted varietal. Austrian wines weren’t even mentioned in my wine certification course.

But this doesn’t do the country justice. Its wine deserves more of our attention. Challenge yourself: drink more Austrian wine. Here's why.

Winemaking in Austria dates back more than two thousand years and the five generic wine-growing regions produce a wide variety of high-quality wines. Austria is on the same latitude as Burgundy, but as it’s further east its climate is more transitional and has greater variations in temperature. Austrian wines are known for their freshness and minerality as well as the use of environment-conscious methods for wine production. Ninety-five percent of the country’s wineries are family-run. The wide variety of wines makes it easy to pair different wines with a wide range of food.

So the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, supported by the European Union, recently held a master class at the trendy Osteria Mozza in Washington, DC, to educate the wine industry about the quality and diversity of Austrian wines. Doug and I were also invited to attend this event.

The master class showcased a unique, comprehensive “journey through Austria going beyond Gruner Veltliner” with flights of wine of three wines each, paired with tasty bites from the restaurant. The master class was led by Jesse Becker, MS, who specializes in German and Austrian wines.

The first two flights, sparkling wines and Gruner Veltliner, were offered at the wine bar during the opening reception, with charcuterie, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and other hors d’oeuvres.

The master class began in earnest when we took our seats for the wine and food pairing.

Tasting One: Tribute to Sauvignon Blanc

Our first pairing, flight three, focused on white wines from Styria (Steiermark), Austria’s southernmost wine region. The area is best known for Sauvignon Blanc, but it’s in a more Italian style, not like New Zealand or Sancerre. The three wines in this flight were either all or mostly Sauvignon Blanc. Our wines were paired with white asparagus.

We sampled:

2023 Sudsteiermark DAC Sauvignon Blanc Klassik, a regional wine from Karl & Gustav Strauss Winery 😊++

2021 Sudsteiermark DAC Cuvee “Bergwein,” a middle-tier wine, from Gross Winery 😊😊

2017 Sudsteiermark Sauvignon Blanc Ried Grassnitzberg “ISTK,” a premier cru single vineyard from Tement 😊😊

Tasting Two: Older Rieslings

Our second pairing, flight 4 “Riesling with age” featured Rieslings that were at least six years old. Riesling is often drunk when young, but it can age longer than most other white varietals and reaches higher quality and complexity when mature. These wines were paired with skewered yellowtail fish.

We sampled:

2019 Kamptal DAC Riesling Ried Heiligenstein “IOTW” a premier cru, from Leindl 😊++

2016 Kamptal DAC Riesling Ried Kammerner Heiligenstein IOTW, from Schloss Gobelsburg  😊++

2014 Kremstal DAC Riesling Ried Silberbichl IOTW, from Stift Gottweig, one of the oldest wineries in Austria 😊😊

Tasting Three: Red Wines

Our third pairing, flight 5, featured Austrian red wines. The country has a diverse range of red varietals from several different wine regions. The amount of red wine in Austria has increased significantly in the past 20 years and now constitutes one-third of the wine produced there. The flight was paired with house-made lamb sausage.

We sampled:

2022 Blaufrankisch from Kolfok, on the Hungarian border (like Beaujolais) 😊😊

2021 Burgenland Reserve St. Laurent, (a grape related to Pinot Noir), from Steindorfer 😊++

2019 Eisenberg DAC Reserve Blaufrankisch Ried Reihburg “BIO” from Wachter Wiesler 😊++

Bonus: A Dessert Wine to Savor

For the finale, our dessert of custards, cookies, and muffins was paired with a sweet dessert wine similar to ice wine produced near the Hungarian border. The master class dubbed it Flight 6: Liquid Gold: 2017 Burgenland TBA Samling 88 from Leberl 😊 

The master class was a real eye-opener. I was impressed with the range of styles and quality of the wines we tasted.

We were not alone. For instance, we shared a table with two wine buyers from two of the hottest spots in the city, and they each planned to add some of the wines we tasted to their restaurants’ wine lists. I look forward to having some of these options available in shops and restaurants shortly.

So please challenge yourself to drink more Austrian wine. Now you know why.

I hope that our reporting on the master class of Austrian wines helps you branch out into these lesser-known choices. While Austria was on my “to-visit” list, now I intend to travel to this wine destination much sooner. Prost! (“Cheers” in Austria).

What else should we know about Austrian wine? What should we focus on when booking our trip there? Let us know!  We’re at info@winewithourfamily.com. 

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