The Wine Enthusiast recently did a special feature on what they think are the World’s Best Wine Tour Destinations for 2016. Here are some more details on one of the destinations on their list: Burgenland in Austria.
You can see the Wine Enthusiast’s full list of best wine travel destinations in my previous post here.
9. Burgenland, Austria
Austria is not a big wine country if you count volume (less than half the size of Bordeaux) but they make some very exciting wines.
This is what The Wine Enthusiast has to say about it in their intro:
“Riveting reds and lakeside recreation await in Austria’s warmest wine region. Just an hour by car from Vienna, Burgenland beckons. Dominated by Lake Neusiedl, which forms the border with Hungary, it’s an area that attracts nature lovers from around the globe. A portion of the lake serves as a natural reserve that harbors rare bird life in an immense reed belt, and there’s sailing and windsurfing for sporty types. But beyond its natural beauty, Burgenland is a true haven for wine lovers. Vineyards planted with the area’s indigenous varieties surround the lake and nearby villages.”
Most of the Austrian wine regions lie within easy reach from Vienna, the capital, including Burgenland. All of Austria deserves much better recognition for its fantastic wines, and also has the landscape to make it a pleasure and experience to travel here. If you go there, which I hope you do, you should take the opportunity to visit as much as you can in all the wine regions.
We have arranged several wine tours to Austria but, to be honest, it has been challenging to attract customers to come. That is a great pity. We would love to do much more wine travel in Austria, if only we could make a few more people discover it as a wine travel destination.
Here’s some more on what to expect when wine touring in Austria (and not just in Burgenland).
What to expect
Even if it is not a very big (in acreage) wine country it has dramatically changing landscapes. Burgenland, around the Neusiedlersee is quite flat and dominated by the presence of the lake. Wagram, Wachau and Kamptal along the Danube River have sometimes neck-breaking slopes where the vines grow on terraces.
Austria is mainly known for its white wines, with Grüner Veltliner as the leading (at least in reputation) grape.
What you should not miss
Most people think of Austria as a white wine country but you should not miss the reds. They are becoming more and more sought after and you can find some excellent examples. Look for example for the grape varieties Zweigelt and Blaufränkish.
They also make some fantastic sweet white wines, including Trockenbeerenauslese, wines made from grapes that have shrivelled on the vine. They are never cheap but always exceptional.
Travel with us on a wine tour to Austria!
