Wachau region, Austria
Between the historic towns of Melk and Krems, the Danube Valley grows some of the best Riesling and Gruner Veltliner wines, known and appreciated around the world.
Probably, as in many other parts of Europe, it was the Romans who began the long journey of winemaking in this region of Lower Austria. The first mention of Wachau in written sources dates back to 830. In the Middle Ages, Bavarian monks built stone terraces of gneiss and marble, built without solder, which still crown the steep slopes of Wachau and which are part of the cultural heritage under the auspices of UNESCO.
In 1983, the foundations of Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus were laid - an association of over 200 winemakers focused on achieving the highest quality. Their merit is the creation of a classification of vineyards and plots according to their soils and microclimate, as well as the division of wines into three different categories according to their style and quality.
The Steinfeder category refers to the lightest dry and fruit wines with a maximum alcohol content of 11.5%. The Federspiel category is assigned to more concentrated dry wines with an alcoholic strength of up to 12.5%. The highest category of wines is called Smaragd (Smaragd) and it contains only the most complex wines that have the potential to mature for years in a bottle.
Stretching for 33 km. along the Danube, today the region has a total of 1,344 hectares of vineyards, 40% of which occupy the steep terraces built in the Middle Ages and zealously maintained by today's owners. Since 2020, Wachau has been part of the DAC family.
Vinification:
The grapes are picked by hand on the steep slopes of the Wachau, and mechanization is impossible due to the topography of the area. Many wines are produced in a light, fresh style, ready for consumption immediately after bottling in some of the many restaurants or in the wineries themselves, open to the many tourists who visit the Wachau. Top wines ferment and mature in neutral steel vessels or in large wooden barrels, and they do not show spicy aromas of oak, and the goal is always to create a clean, typical of its origin style.
Soils:
The steep slopes of the Wachau are occupied by gneiss with a very thin layer of humus, and these relatively infertile warm soils with good drainage are extremely suitable for growing first-class Riesling. The eastern parts of the slopes have loess accumulations. Here Gruner Veltliner finds the most suitable conditions for growth.
Climate:
In general, the area around the Danube has a temperate-continental climate, and the river has regulatory functions on it. Summers are hot and relatively dry, winters are cold. However, it should be noted that the Wachau has a very pronounced and diverse microclimates, determined by soils (or the presence of terraces), exposure, altitude. The highest plots are located at about 450 m above sea level and this is the reason for serious temperature amplitudes between day and night. Cool, humid breezes also come from the northern region of Waldfiertel.
Browse our collection of wines from the Wachau region: wine cellar Domaine Wachau and Jamek wine cellar .
