The UK's Most Comprehensive Range of Austrian
Wine
Welcome
to our Austrian Wine catalogue pages! We offer what we believe is the
largest and best range of Austrian wines in the UK. Austria is quite simply
one of the most, if not the most fascinating wine producing
country in Europe today. Steeped in culture and history, it has a winegrowing
heritage stretching back over three millennia. Austria produces some of
the best wines in the world, of unparalleled quality, from grape varieties
not grown elsewhere. Yet remarkably, her wines remain relatively unknown
and under-represented in the UK. Here’s what you get from Austria:-
A youthful modern winemaking culture where experimentation
is everywhere and the resulting quality fantastic. An amazing blend of
old and new, with baroque wine cellars housing state of the art wineries
in picture-postcard villages.
Good value crisp and vigorous dry whites at the low end
of the market.
World-class dry Rieslings
World-class Sauvignon Blancs, in the style of better Loire
Sauvignons, with plenty of minerals and sweet-grassy fruit.
Amazing Pinot Blancs, with unrivalled depth, complexity
and age-worthiness.
Unique indigenous red grapes such as Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch
and St. Laurent, from which wines in a wide range of styles from medium
weight right through to as powerful and full-bodied you will find anywhere,
all amazingly food-friendly, with wonderful flavors unlike those you may
be used to from elsewhere.
One of Europe’s most amazing white-wine grapes - Grüner
Veltliner. Unique, adaptable, food-loving, and delicious.
Some of the best dessert wines on earth – BA, TBA, Eiswein,
Ausbruch, Shilfwein…..
Regions
We’ve selected wines from some of the best growers in the various winegrowing
regions. Most of these are small family operations, offering wines of individuality,
character, and outstanding quality.
There are 4 main winegrowing
regions, subdivided into 18 different areas, each with its own specialities.
Wachauand Kremstal, in the Danube valley to the west
of Vienna, offer world-class white wines; principally from Riesling and
the indigenous Austrian Grüner Veltliner; neighbouring Traisental, south of the Danube, has some
of the best values around. Moving east along the Danube towards Vienna,
Kamptal with it's famous Heiligenstein vineyard,
has top-notch whites and elegant reds. Further east, Wagram, previously known as Donauland, has
an interesting geological quirk, where ice-age glaciers created a huge barrier
of soil bordering the Danube for many kilometers, and today vineyards are
planted along this rise - the so-called mighty "Wagram" which now gives
it's name to ther region.Wagram's predominant variety is Grüner Veltliner,
which here makes spicy sappy wines. Pinot Blanc is also grown, with some
limited pr oduction of
reds. Further east still, Viennais the only European capital city
to have important vineyards within its city limits. Wines grown here range
from the simple, designed to be drunk in quantity at the Heurige, or wine
bars, through to top quality reds and whites, with Grüner Veltliner
dominating. North of Vienna, the Weinviertelis Austria's largest winegrowing
region, making good value wines - whites principally from Grüner
Veltliner and Welschriesling, and reds from Zweigelt and Blauer Portugieser.
South-east of Vienna is Carnuntum, a region famed for it's big chunky
reds. South of Vienna lies Thermenregion, which produces
bold reds from both Austrian and international varieties, as well as whites
from rare obscure indigenous grapes such as Zierfandler and Rotgipfler.
Further south and east, of Vienna, and bordering Hungary, Burgenland offers beautifully made reds and
whites, and a fine range of world class sweet Botrytis wines from the
area around the Neusiedlersee- including Beerenausleses, Trockenbeerenausleses,
the obscure noble Ausbruch from the free city of Rust on the Neusiedlersee,
some Eiswein, and the rare Schilfwein - literally reed wine, a delectable
sweet wine made from grapes dried on beds of reeds. Styria in the south offers fantastic whites
from Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc amongst others, and the famous Schilcher
rosé made from the local Blauer Wildbacher. As with our other ranges,
we carefully select wines of character and charm from quality-conscious
suppliers who are passionate about what they do.
Wines
Scroll down to see a list of regions - click on these (or on the links
above) to go to the wine catalogue for each region.
Austrian Sampler Cases Mixed cases of Austrian wines with a variety of themes - a good way of getting to know the wines from this excellent winemaking country steeped in history and culture.
Traisental Fantastic value from this relatively unknown region to the south of the Danube, adjacent to Wachau and Kremstal.
Wachau - Grüner Veltliner The Wachau also produces outstanding wines from this typically Austrian variety, which represents about a third of all output in Austria. Grüner Veltliner styles range from light through to concentrated, often with a peppery-spicy character. Grown on meagre primary rock soil, such as in the Wachau, they often demonstrate a pronounced minerality, whereas in other regions, on fertile soils, they are fruitier. Grüner Veltliner has excellent aging potential.
Wachau - Riesling The Wachau is the area along the banks of the Danube between Krems and Melk, and is amongst the most treasured of Austria's wine-growing regions. We offer Rieslings from some of Austria's finest makers. The quality of these wines is a revelation, yet they are quite different from those from Germany or Alsace. Here, fine Rieslings are typically dry and substantial, with as much as 14% alcohol, yet have a raciness and delicacy arguably unsurpassed anywhere.
Wachau - Other White Grape Varieties A range of wines made from other white grape varieties, including both international varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc, and traditional Austrian varieties such as Neuberger and Gelber Muskateller.
Kremstal White Wines The Kremstal is the region along the Danube bordering the eastern end of the Wachau, encompassing the towns of Krems itself, Stein, and Und. The main varieties grown are Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, grown on primary granite rock in the west, and clay and limestone (loess) in the east and south. Some Chardonnay is now grown. The wines tend to be elegant, with rich fruity bouquets.
Wachau/Kremstal Red Wines Some excellent fruity spicy wines made from the Austrian varieties Blauer Zweigelt and Blauer Portugieser, plus a couple of excellent blends - one Zweigelt/Saint Laurent and one Zweigelt/Merlot. You won't find these in the high street!!!
Kamptal A small selection of Rieslings and GVs from this small region with very hot summers - the famous Heiligenstein vineyard, documented as long ago as 1280 as "Hellerstein", or Hell Rock, because of the burning sun it enjoys, is perfect for ripening grapes.
Wagram Now available - a wide range of red, white, rosé, and Sekt from this historic region to the north-west of Vienna.
Burgenland Although perhaps best known for its sweet wines, Burgenland, nestled up against the Hungarian border, also makes some truly excellent reds and whites. We have a great range - some serious red wines made from indigenous Austrian grape varieties, and a selection of characterful whites, all from top growers.
Austrian Sweet Wines Amazing sweet dessert wines from the Neusiedlersee in Austria; we believe we offer the widest selection in the UK. Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Ausbruch, Schilfwein, Eiswein - we have them all. Even some red sweet wines! And all from a wide variety of grape varieties, and all from exceptional makers.
Thermenregion Some super wines from this excellent winegrowing region just south of Vienna. We have some serious red wines made from indigenous Austrian and international grape varieties, and a selection of characterful whites, some from extremely rare indigenous Austrian grape varieties such as Zierfandler.
Carnuntum Superb chunky reds and useful whites from this little-known region to the east of Vienna.
Styria Some superb wines from Styria in the south of Austria; stunning whites including world-class Sauvignon Blancs, and a range of wines from the indigenous Austrian Blauer Wildbacher grape, including the Schilcher, a Rosé which is a regional speciality, a lovely red, lovely sparkling wines, and a superb Trockenbeerenauslese.
Weinviertel A range of fine wines from the Weinviertel, a major Austrian wine producing district located to the north of Vienna. Principally white wines - Grüner Veltliner and a few top-drawer Rieslings, but with some other useful whites and a handful of top-quality reds too.
Vienna Vienna is the only European capital city to have important vineyards within its city limits. We offer a small but excellent range of wines from highly respected producer Rainer Christ.
Treasure Chest A range of precious bottles of Austrian wine dating back to the 1960s.
